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The section has carried out major studies exploring social factors in the aetiology of depression and other common mental disorders, while other research has sought to develop a better understanding of the impact of social environment on the onset, course and outcome of psychoses. Members of the Social Psychiatry team are collaborators on the Aetiology and Ethnicity of Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses (AESOP) Study, a major UK based multicentre epidemiological study of the aetiology and outcome of psychosis in different ethnic groups.
Staff in the Section also develop and evaluate psychosocial interventions - like social support, social networking and family interventions - to help people with both common mental illnesses and psychosis. They developed a range of psychosocial measures for use in social psychiatry studies and short programmes on how to use these measures are organised on a regular basis.
Cultural Psychiatry studies the occurrence and treatment of mental ill health in black and minority ethnic communities, and researches the role culture and cultural beliefs play in the genesis of illness, pathways into care and treatment. The research team seeks to help mental health professionals understand the needs of patients and carers from different ethnic groups, and to develop services which are sensitive to cultural issues.
One previous study carried out by the section, for example, highlighted a higher incidence of schizophrenia among African Caribbeans living in the UK than people living in Trinidad.
Members of the Cultural Psychiatry team have since collaborated on the AESOP (Aetiology and Ethnicity of Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses) Study, a major UK based multi centre epidemiological study of the aetiology and outcome of psychosis in different ethnic groups. Another previous study carried out by Cultural Psychiatry discovered that 37 per cent of Asian women had common mental disorders, yet GPs who were from the same ethnic and cultural background were able to diagnose only 17 per cent of cases. As a result of this research, an educational intervention was developed which led to an increase in diagnoses of common mental disorders by GPs.
The section has developed Special Study Modules on Cultural Psychiatry for medical students at King's School of Medicine to help them understand how to deal effectively with patients whose culture may be different from their own.
Dr Craig Morgan leads the Social Psychiatry team and other members include emeritus Professor George Brown and Dr Tirril Harris, Professor Tom Craig, a Professor of Community and Social Psychiatry, and Professor Dinesh Bhugra, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. .
Social Psychiatry
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DESCRIPTION
Social Psychiatry researches how social factors - people, relationships, families, employment, leisure, positive and negative life events - affect the course and outcome of mental illness. The section has carried out major studies exploring social factors in the aetiology of depression and other common mental disorders, while other research has sought to develop a better understanding of the impact of social environment on the onset, course and outcome of psychoses. Members of the Social Psychiatry team are collaborators on the Aetiology and Ethnicity of Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses (AESOP) Study, a major UK based multicentre epidemiological study of the aetiology and outcome of psychosis in different ethnic groups.
Staff in the Section also develop and evaluate psychosocial interventions - like social support, social networking and family interventions - to help people with both common mental illnesses and psychosis. They developed a range of psychosocial measures for use in social psychiatry studies and short programmes on how to use these measures are organised on a regular basis.
Cultural Psychiatry studies the occurrence and treatment of mental ill health in black and minority ethnic communities, and researches the role culture and cultural beliefs play in the genesis of illness, pathways into care and treatment. The research team seeks to help mental health professionals understand the needs of patients and carers from different ethnic groups, and to develop services which are sensitive to cultural issues.
One previous study carried out by the section, for example, highlighted a higher incidence of schizophrenia among African Caribbeans living in the UK than people living in Trinidad.
Members of the Cultural Psychiatry team have since collaborated on the AESOP (Aetiology and Ethnicity of Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses) Study, a major UK based multi centre epidemiological study of the aetiology and outcome of psychosis in different ethnic groups. Another previous study carried out by Cultural Psychiatry discovered that 37 per cent of Asian women had common mental disorders, yet GPs who were from the same ethnic and cultural background were able to diagnose only 17 per cent of cases. As a result of this research, an educational intervention was developed which led to an increase in diagnoses of common mental disorders by GPs.
The section has developed Special Study Modules on Cultural Psychiatry for medical students at King's School of Medicine to help them understand how to deal effectively with patients whose culture may be different from their own.
Dr Craig Morgan leads the Social Psychiatry team and other members include emeritus Professor George Brown and Dr Tirril Harris, Professor Tom Craig, a Professor of Community and Social Psychiatry, and Professor Dinesh Bhugra, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. .
Associated research programmes
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