Psychiatry

The Discipline of Psychiatry provides a comprehensive teaching program, undertakes internationally recognised research, and offers participation in clinical trials for innovative and effective treatments.

Psychiatry is concerned with the:

  • aetiology and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders
  • the investigation of how pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions impact on human behaviour and brain function
  • the exploration of the regenerational capacity of the human mind and brain in the clinical context.

The Discipline of Psychiatry at the Adelaide Medical School is committed to excellence in all areas of this important field—research, teaching and innovation in clinical practice.

Key contacts

Undergraduate and postgraduate teaching

The discipline teaches psychiatry into undergraduate medicine programs such as  Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, and Bachelor of Medical Studies and Doctor of Medicine program. It also runs a course on Fundamentals of Biological Psychiatry, to students in Neuroscience major within the regular and advanced Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences and Bachelors of Psychological Sciences programs.

  • Dr Catharine Jawahar, Lecturer
  • Dr Catherine Toben, Senior Lecturer and AMHB Manager
  • Dr David Plevin, Clinical Academic
  • Dr Sumana Thompson, Clinical Academic
  • Dr Michael Weightman, Clinical Academic

How to get started as a researcher

If you like to challenge yourself and potentially pursue a career in research, then explore the discipline of psychiatry higher degree research (HDR) programs.

Postgraduate research degrees

  • Honours Program

    If you want to become a researcher but aren't sure where to start, consider applying for an honours degree with the Discipline of Psychiatry. The honours program enables you to research an area of personal interest and develop the skills required for postgraduate study at a higher level. You'll undertake a research project and complete coursework to gain fundamental research skills. Find out more about applying for honours within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.

  • Master of Clinical Science

    The Master of Clinical Science can be completed as a 100% research degree, or a combination of research and coursework. To undertake this degree, you’ll need to be a clinician with at least two years’ experience, and an interest in conducting high-quality, clinically focused research.

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

    The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the basic qualification for a research career or academic position. You don’t need to be a psychiatrist to undertake PhD but you must have studied a relevant bachelor’s degree with at least a second-class honours (upper division) or relevant master’s degree containing a significant research component. Through PhD, you will develop the capacity to conduct independent, original research and make a significant original contribution to knowledge in psychiatry/ mental health. It involves three years of research full-time (or part-time equivalent).

Centre for Personalised Mental Health Research

Mission and Vision

The Discipline of Psychiatry is focussed on pre-clinical and clinical translation of psychological and biological mechanisms for the personalisation of mental health care and high-quality clinical trials of novel treatments; right treatment, right time to improve function and quality of life in the context of lived experience.

The discipline conducts high-quality, interdisciplinary research programs on key areas as listed below.

  • Mental Health Education

    Our research explores the use of simulation technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to teach mental health concepts in Medicine and Psychiatry. We also explore the mental health impact of medical training on students and the design of services to support them.

    Key research topics/project areas include:

    • The impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on post-graduate psychiatry training
    • Investigating the barriers to utilisation and access of university mental health and wellbeing services by medical students including the development of novel digital tools for monitoring of mental health and wellbeing.
    • The use of VR and immersive simulation to teach the management of distress and self-harm

    Research team

    Partnerships  

    • Dr Shiva Gunapu, The Adelaide Clinic, Ramsay Health Care
    • Dr Ellie Davies, Adelaide Simulation
    • Associate Professor Adam Montagu, Adelaide Simulation
    • Professor Anna Chur Hansen, Adelaide University School of Psychology

  • Biology of stress-related psychopathology and resilience

    Our research explores the molecular and cellular effects of psychosocial stress on mental health, focusing on brain, endocrine, and immune systems. Using advanced methodologies, we are investigating how early life adversity and chronic stress impact neurodevelopment, stress resilience and vulnerability. This knowledge has significant translational impact for early intervention and diagnosis of stress-induced mental health disorders across lifespan. Current focus is on measuring the effectiveness of perinatal mindfulness-based therapies as an early intervention for stress-induced mental health disorders and associated biological mechanisms. Our comprehensive approach aims to improve mental health and develop early evidence-based interventions.

    Key research topics/project areas include:

    • Transcriptomic, epigenomic and proteomic signatures in symptom domains of psychiatric disorders; example cognition
    • Genetic predisposition to stress resilience and susceptibility
    • Murine models of peripheral and central inflammation in modulating behaviour
    • Investigating neuro-regenerative immune mechanisms using non-pharmacological interventions, such as nutrition and exercise.
    • Mindfulness-based interventions in pregnancy to address neurodevelopmental processes of unborn in utero, including alteration in Mother-infant stress response system factors
    • Implementation of mindfulness-based modules to address anxiety and depression as experienced by adolescent and young adults

    Research team

    Partnerships  

    • Dr Ross Powrie, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Women’s and Children’s Health Network
    • Dr Catharine Jawahar, Principal Co-Lead
    • Dr Rebecca Hill, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Women’s and Children’s Health Network
    • Prof Chris Murgatroyd, Manchester Metropolitan University

  • Omics and biological phenotypes for stratification of mental illness

    Psychiatry is undergoing a paradigm shift from the concept of distinct diagnoses (e.g. schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder etc.) to a representation of mental disorder that crosses diagnostic boundaries. How this conceptual transition is supported by a shared neurobiology remains largely unknown. This unit uses state-of-the art technologies from the fields of genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics to develop new ways of classifying, diagnosing, and treating mental disorders.

    Key research topics/project areas include:

    • novel and more effective blood biomarkers research to biologically stratify psychiatric disorder, improve diagnosis, and assist in treatment selection and improve prognosis
    • an integrated multi-omics approach for stratification

    Research team

  • Predictive modelling and machine learning in mental illness

    Understanding and predicting longitudinal and population outcomes in mental health is critical to both personalising patient care and developing better mental health services. This unit's research utilises cutting edge longitudinal, probabilistic and machine learning techniques to combine clinical and biological data to predict meaningful outcomes for people with mental illness. The research spans developmental trajectories and lifestyle factors across the lifespan, as well as relationships to mental illness, the combination of clinical and multimodal –omic and imaging biomarkers for the stratification of treatment response, and the simulation of health care services to identify ways to deliver care more effectively.

    Key research topics/project areas include:

    • predicting the first psychotic episode
    • group-based trajectory modelling of longitudinal mental health and quality of life outcomes in population cohorts (youth, pregnancy)
    • novel Bayesian and Markov modelling of outcomes in mental illness.

    Research team

    Partnerships

  • Biology of anxiety disorders

    Anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder are often chronic and disabling. Onset is usually in childhood or adolescent years and is often associated with marked impairment in social and/or occupational functioning. This unit investigates the phenotypic and genetic relationship between inflammation/immune dysregulation and anxiety to inform new avenues for treatment.

    Research team

    Partnerships

  • Cognitive genomics

    The vision of this unit is to enhance cognitive functioning in in healthy people as well as in people living with neuropsychiatric conditions. The unit studies genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying cognitive functioning in healthy people, as well as in people with depression, anxiety, psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, history of traumatic events, and substance abuse. The identification of genetic determinants of cognitive functioning is the first step to understanding complex molecular mechanisms underlying cognitive processes in health and disease. To uncover its functional consequences, this unit employs functional genomics and advanced bioinformatics capabilities, including prediction modelling and machine learning. The unit brings expertise from cognitive psychology, clinical psychiatry, molecular biology and bioinformatics to seek answers to the biological underpinnings of cognitive functioning in health and disease.

    Key research topics/project areas include:

    • Exploring the biological foundations of cognitive functioning through the lens of CHC theory of cognitive abilities
    • The genomic determinants of cognitive flexibility and high performance cognition in psychosis.

    Research team

    Clinical psychiatry

    Cognitive psychology

    • Professor Andrew Heathcote
    • Emeritus Professor Lazar Stankov

    Imaging

    Molecular biology

    Bioinformatics

    Partnerships

    • South Australian Medical and Health Research Institute, SAHMRI
    • University of Sydney
    • University of Newcastle
    • Australian Institute for Machine Leaning, AMIL

  • Genetic Epidemiology Research Group

    This unit is interested in studying the omics of complex phenotypes across the discipline of mental health and healthy ageing, including genomics (DNA), epigenomes, transcriptomics (RNA), proteomics (Protein), metabolomics and microbiomes.

    Leveraging genomic data obtained from international biobanks, our research applies advanced bioinformatic techniques to explore the “omics” of (a) risk and pharmacological treatment response to mental health disorders (depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia), (b) neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer's disease and other dementias), (c) ageing traits (frailty, longevity, cognition and intrinsic capacity) and (d)mechanism of genetic overlap across physical medical and mental health disorders.

    Because these phenotypes “polygenic” traits, influenced by the combined effect of several genetic and environmental factors, our research also aims to understand how polygenic risk and environmental factors interact and then influence the variability of complex traits.

    Key research topics/ project areas
     • The genomics of risk to mental illness (depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia)
     • Precision Healthy Ageing - the Genomics and Proteomics of Healthy Ageing Indicators     (longevity, cognition, and intrinsic capacity)
     • Pharmacogenomics in the treatment of mental illness
     • Mechanism of genetic overlap across physical medical and mental health disorders
     • The epidemiology of mental illness and effective clinical interventions
     • Digital mental health

    Research team

    Partnerships

  • Mental Health Epidemiology Research Group

    This unit collaborates with The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) to estimate the epidemiological trajectories of mental health and other disease   burdens within the Australian population, providing critical insights for public health strategies and interventions.

    Key research topics/project areas

    • Estimating the burden of mental and substance use disorders in Australia
    • Estimating the pre- and post-COVID-19 disease burden for Australians aged 70 and older.

    Research team:

    Patnerships:

    • Dr Nadezhda Baryshnikova, School of Economics and Public Policy, University of Adelaide
    • Dr Florian Ploeckl, School of Economics and Public Policy, University of Adelaide
    • Dr Gizat Kassie, SAHMRI Women and Kids

  • Digital Analysis and Solutions for Mental Health

    There is rapid growth in in the range of digital monitoring, imaging and intervention for mental health. This group seeks to develop and combine modalities to analyse patterns to stratify illness and provide personalised feedback and intervention.

    Key topics/ project areas include:

    • EEG, MEG and MRI analysis of psychopathology, cognition and function
    • Analysis of facial expression and speech semantics and acoustics in mental illness
    • Personalisation of apps for mental illness
    • Analysis of cardiorespiratory physiology in mental illness and health
    • Ecological Momentary Assessment and Actigraphy in mental illness

    Research team

    Partnerships

    • Associate Professor Mathias Beaumert, University of Adelaide Electronic Engineering
    • Dr Micah Cearns, Insight Timer
    • Associate Professor Sally Eldeghaidy, Nottingham University
    • Dr Niall Holmes, CERCA

  • Physical health and mental illness

    People with severe mental illness have morality rates substantially higher than the general population. This differential mortality gap is driven by an excess of potentially preventable physical health conditions and has worsened over time. These areas are investigated with the aim of developing therapies and informing policy and service provision for individuals.

    Key research topics/project areas include:

    • Comparing levels of health literacy between community mental health patients in Boston (USA) and Adelaide
    • Metabolic syndrome and mental health
    • Adverse effects of Clozapine
    • Psychological issues that affect people suffering with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) a rare lung disease

    Research team

    Partnerships

    • Professor Lyle Palmer, Adelaide Institute of Machine Learning
    • Professor Tara Pukala, University of Adelaide School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
    • Institute of Urban Health Research, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
    • Professor Dan Siskind, University of Queensland
    • Dr Jackie Curtis, University of New South Wales

  • Clinical trials

    The discipline of Psychiatry at the university of Adelaide is involved in high quality observational and novel clinical trials in both youth and adult populations, including key national and international collaborations with MAGNET, AEPCC, NIMH and Psych-STRATA.at four major sites including the AHMS CRF, Lyle McEwin NAHLN, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH) and Headspace Adelaide.

    Key research topics/ project areas

    • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for depression (COGENT) and autism
    • Virtual Reality for Social Cognition in Early Psychosis (VISOR)
    • Cognitive Screening In Early Psychosis (COGScreen)
    • Metabolic treatment for Depression (Hearts & Minds)
    • Ketamine treatment for depression (INTENSIFY) and bipolar disorder (KITE)
    • Tirzepatide for weight loss in chronic schizophrenia (SWIFT)

    Research teams

    Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences CRE /PARC

    The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

    Headspace Adelaide

    Lyell McKeown Hospital

    Partnerships

Adelaide Mental Health Biobank (AMHB)

The Adelaide Mental Health Biobank (AMHB) is a research resource that links clinical and experimental data with biospecimens and biometric data from both human and animal studies. Storage of collected biospecimen and biometric data includes human case-control and/or general population studies in addition to basic science animal studies. It supports national and international research in identifying biomarkers for psychiatric disorders, aiding in the development of new screening, diagnostic, and treatment methods. As South Australia's first mental health biobank, and one of four in Australia, the AMHB is available to researchers with ethically approved projects, expanding opportunities in personalized psychiatry.

Aims

  • To advance personalised psychiatry through research into mental health disorders by providing a comprehensive high-quality database combining clinical and biological data.
  • To support basic and translational science, including cell cultures and animal studies, and offer a cost-effective resource for psychiatric research.
  • To enable collaborative efforts to uncover the biological causes of mental health disorders.

Participate in clinical trials and the Adelaide Mental Health Biobank (AMHB)

The Discipline of Psychiatry often seeks participants for clinical trials. Find out more about how you can participate in research through current and upcoming trials.