Early intervention in psychosis: Current knowledge and future directions

This conference was the largest and the most comprehensive conference on this topic held in Canada since the IEPA in 2004. It was held May 27-28, 2013. The conference brought together renowned researchers and clinicians, from different parts of the world, to disseminate the most up to date knowledge on neurobiological, social, psychological, and cultural aspects of the early phases of psychotic disorders, as well as on challenging problems related to substance abuse and physical health.

Presentations were recorded and are accessible by clicking on the title. Some presentations are only accessible in powerpoint.

Monday, May 27 2013

8:30
Opening remarks

  • Lynne McVey, RN, MSc, Executive Director of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute
  • André Delorme, MD, National Director of Mental Health, Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux
  • Mimi Israël, MD, Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Douglas Institute; Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University

Synthesis of Knowledge in the Field of Early Intervention for Psychosis

Chair: Ashok Malla, MD
Director - Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal); Professor and Canada Research Chair in Early Psychosis, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University

9:00
Plenary lecture : Early intervention for psychosis: a new architecture and culture of care (video) (ppt document)
Patrick McGorry, MD, PhD; Executive Director - Orygen Youth Health Research Centre; Professor - Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne; Director of Clinical Services - Orygen Youth Health, Australia

10:00
Overview of accumulated knowledge and achievements at PEPP-Montreal (video)
Ashok Malla, MD

Neurobiology and its Implications for Clinical and Functional Outcome

Chair: Martin Lepage, PhD; Associate Professor - Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Canada

10:50
Plenary lecture: Third-generation neuroimaging in early schizophrenia: translating research evidence into clinical utility (video) (ppt document)
Stefan Borgwardt
, MD; Department of Psychiatry and Medical Image Analysis Centre, University of Basel, Switzerland; Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychosis Studies, King’s College, London, United Kingdom

11:30
Early identification of neurobiological markers of remission in first-episode psychosis (video) (ppt document)
Michael Bodnar, PhD; Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-
Montreal), Canada

11:50
Neurocognition and neuroimaging of persistent negative symptoms in first-episode psychosis (video) (ppt document)
Cindy Hovington, PhD candidate, McGill University; Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal), Canada

12:10
Neurocognitive deficits and functional outcome in early psychosis: what do we know and what can we do about it? (video)
Srividya Iyer, PhD; Program Coordinator - Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal); Assistant Professor - Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Canada

Social and Psychological Aspects of Early Intervention and Recovery

Chair: Alain Lesage, PhD; Associate Director - Fernand-Seguin Research Centre, Hôpital Louis-H. Lafontaine; Professor - Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, Canada

1:30
Social anxiety disorder in early phase psychosis: the role of shame sensitivity and diagnosis concealment (ppt document)
Max Birchwood, PhD; Clinical Director - Youthspace Mental Health Programme; Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust; Professor - School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

2:15
Stigma and early intervention for psychosis: can we shrink the elephant in the room? (video) (ppt document)
Ross M.G. Norman, PhD; Professor - Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario; Director of Research - Department of Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario, Canada

3:20
The personal meaning of recovery among individuals treated for a first episode of psychosis (video) (ppt document)
Deborah Windell, MSc; Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses, London,
Ontario, Canada

3:40
Group cognitive behavior therapy for social anxiety in psychosis: does it work ? (ppt document)
Tina Montreuil, PhD; Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal), Canada

4:00
Psychological and biological correlates of stress in ultra-high risk and first episode psychosis patients (ppt document)
Marita Pruessner, PhD; Program Coordinator - Clinic for the Assessment of Youth at Risk (CAYR), sub-service of Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal); Assistant Professor - Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Canada

4:20
Discussion (video)

Tuesday, May 28 2013

Culture and Psychosis

Chair: Laurence Kirmayer, MD; James McGill Professor and Director - Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Canada

9:00
Is early intervention a priority in developing countries? Issues and challenges (video)
Ashok Malla, MD

9:50
The clinical presentation of first-episode psychosis across different migrant and ethnic minority groups in Montreal, Quebec (video) (ppt document)
Elsje Van der Ven, PhD candidate, Rivierduinen Institute for Mental Health Care, Oegstgeest; Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

10:10
The role of family factors in outcome differences in first-episode psychosis (video)
Srividya Iyer, PhD; Program Coordinator - Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal); Assistant Professor - Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Canada

10:30
Ethnicity and pathways to care in early intervention for psychosis (video)
Kelly Anderson, PhD; Post-doctoral fellow - Centre for Addictions and Mental Health,
Toronto, Canada

Comorbidities and Psychosis

Chair: Ridha Joober, MD, PhD; Assistant Director - Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal); Associate Professor - Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Canada

11:10
Responding to the challenge of treatment of individuals with co-occurring substance abuse and psychotic disorders: a focus on youth and young adults (video) (ppt document)
Lisa Dixon
, MD, MPH; Director - Centre for Practice Innovations, New York State Psychiatric Institute; Professor - Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, USA

12:00
Exploring the complex interplay between cannabis use, medication adherence, and
symptom intensity in first-episode psychosis (video) (ppt document)
Kia Faridi, MD; Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-
Montreal), Canada; Assistant Professor - Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Canada

1:30
Cannabis and psychosis: is there an aspect of psychotic illness that promotes cannabis use? (video) (ppt document)
Clifford Cassidy, PhD candidate, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University; Prevention and
Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal), Canada

1:50
Medical co-morbidities in the early phase of psychosis: what can we do about it? (video) (ppt document)
Aldanie Rho, MPH; Project Coordinator, Prevention and Early Intervention Program for
Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal), Canada

2:10
Open forum and discussion