PSychosis Ireland Structured Training and Research programme (PSI-STAR)

Psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, occur in about 3 in a hundred people and usually start in adolescence or young adulthood, greatly disrupting a young person's life in terms of education, social relationships and career outcomes. Because of the early age of onset and chronicity these disorders have a devastating impact on young people and families. It is very important to identify people in the early stages of psychosis (or even just before it begins) so that the best treatments and supports can be offered without delay. This will improve the chances of recovery and a good outcome. The Irish government has now begun to invest in early intervention in psychosis. There are several areas that urgently need more research. We need to try and prevent psychosis from occurring in the first place. We can try to do this by identifying young people who are at risk and predicting young people who are at the greatest risk. We need to improve physical health outcomes and life expectancy in people who experience psychosis. We also need to ensure that people who are hospitalized with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have a better experience during their hospital stay. We need to reduce the stigma attached to psychotic disorders and to improve knowledge about the condition and treatment. Our Collaborative Doctoral Award Programme – called PSI-STAR – “PSychosis Ireland Structured Training And Research programme” will address these issues. This PSI-STAR programme will be led by an All-Ireland team of clinicians and academics from the fields of psychiatry, nursing, social work, sociology and psychology and, importantly includes an academic with lived experience of psychosis. The programme will train 5 PhD students who will go on to be leaders in the field of psychosis and make a positive impact on people's lives.

Award Date: 12 November 2021
Award Value: €1496014.67
Principal Investigator: Professor David Cotter
Host Institution: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
Scheme: Collaborative Doctoral Awards