Category: News

Our colleague Maria Bragesjö was recently featured on Sveriges Radio, discussing the psychological impact of gang violence.

Photo: Caisa Rasmussen/TT, Andreas Andersson/Karolinska Institutet.

Maria, who works at the Traumaprogrammet at Psykiatri Sydväst in Huddinge, described common symptoms faced by victims, such as anxiety, fear, and sleep difficulties.

She also shared practical advice, which you can learn more about by listening to her interview here:
https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/fler-soker-stod-efter-skjutningar-kanslomassig-chock

Christian Rück’s latest article on body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is featured in Nature Reviews Disease Primers.

The article provides an in-depth overview of BDD, a psychiatric condition characterized by excessive preoccupation with perceived physical flaws that are often unnoticeable to others. BDD is an underdiagnosed and undertreated condition that affects approximately 2% of the adult population. It is associated with significant impairment in quality of life and a heightened risk of suicide. The publication explores:

• The epidemiology and prevalence of BDD.
• Insights into the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms underlying the disorder.
• Strategies for diagnosis and management, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacological interventions.

Read It! 

• Full Publication: Nature Reviews Disease Primers
• Summary for laypeople: PrimeView

Maria Bragesjö and Volen Ivanov have been awarded planning grants (planeringsbidrag) from Forte as well as grants from the Söderström Königska Foundation . These grants will enable the development of new interventions and lay the groundwork for future large-scale studies.

Maria Bragesjö

Project Title: Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Internet-Delivered Trauma-Focused CBT for Children with PTSD
Grant Amount: 671,250 SEK

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children is a severe psychiatric condition that leads to significant suffering, impaired functioning, and an increased risk of suicide. Despite Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) being the recommended treatment, many children lack access to it within standard care. This project aims to address this gap by developing and evaluating the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of internet- mediated TF-CBT (iTF-CBT) for children with PTSD, thereby increasing the availability of evidence-based treatment.

Volen Ivanov

Project Title: Development and Evaluation of an Intervention for Caregivers and Relatives of Individuals with Hoarding Disorder
Grant Amount: 664,250 SEK

The project addresses the significant burden faced by caregivers of individuals with hoarding disorder (HD), a psychiatric condition that causes severe distress and functional impairment. Despite the high prevalence of HD and its impact on families, support for caregivers remains underdeveloped. This project aims to develop and refine an online support intervention tailored to the needs of caregivers of individuals with HD. This grant will lay the groundwork for a future full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) by adapting existing interventions, ensuring cultural relevance, and engaging stakeholders in a co-creation process. This approach builds on current knowledge in caregiver support for mental health conditions but fills a critical gap by focusing specifically on HD.

Additional Grants!
Maria and Volen were also awarded grants from the Söderström Königska Foundation:
Maria received 284,000 SEK for the project Huddinge Online Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Adults with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Volen received 213,000 SEK for the project: Evaluation of Therapist-Supported Online Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Individuals with Olfactory Reference Syndrome: A Randomized Trial

Congratulations!

Susanna Österman, has received the Best Abstract Award at the Collaboration in Science 2024 conference. This award, accompanied by a prize of 20,000 SEK, was given in recognition of her outstanding Oral Abstract Presentation.

The conference, held on November 21-22 at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, aimed to stimulate collaboration and share knowledge across experimental, translational, and clinical research.

Congratulations, Susanna!

We are so proud to congratulate Christian Rück on receiving the prestigious August Prize 2024 in the category of “Non-Fiction Book of the Year” for his remarkable work, “Ett liv värt att leva: Varför självmord blev människans följeslagare” (A Life Worth Living: Why Suicide Became Humanity’s Companion).

Award Motivation:

“A book about suicide in history, culture, and in our consciences. Christian Rück writes with nuance, deep insight, and a liberating clarity about this incredibly difficult subject. Seemingly anecdotal, the short stories about individuals who have taken, considered, or feared ending their lives form a cohesive whole. This book connects with anyone who has been touched by life’s darkness, those who stood by, and those who have read or heard about it without being directly affected. A book that successfully navigates through and beyond the taboos surrounding the subject.”

Congrats Christian!

Learn more about the August Prize

This week, Christian Rück, Robin Fondberg, and Lisa Gunnarsson contributed with an insightful commentary in Läkartidningen titled “Five Myths About Open Science”.

In their piece, they explore common misconceptions about open science practices and highlight how these methods can improve the transparency, reliability, and usefulness of research. Drawing from real-world examples, they explain the critical role of preregistration, data sharing, and other open science tools in addressing challenges like the replication crisis and publication bias.

You can read the article here.

Last week, Christian Rück took part in a panel discussion during Karolinska’s annual FoU Day. This year’s theme, “Goda vanor mot psykiska besvär – funkar det?” (“Healthy Habits Against Mental Illness – Do They Work?”), brought together researchers and clinicians from Psychiatry South Stockholm to discuss how healthy habits can impact mental health.

The panel discussed how research can be translated into clinical practice to improve patient outcomes. When asked what defines “good research,” Christian highlighted the importance of its practical application:

“Good research is more than just studies on paper—it’s research that reaches people in real-life settings and makes a difference.”

Alongside Christian, the panel featured Lina Martinsson, Maria Bragesjö, Sarah Gullbjörk, Henrik Malaise, Sandra Tamm, Kerstin Blom, Susanna Jernelöv, Cecilia Svanborg, Anna Irestig, moderated by Maria Larsson, chair of the Swedish Psychiatric Association.

As part of the Centre for Psychiatry Research’s Suicide Seminar series, Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman from Columbia University recently delivered a talk titled “Understanding Suicide in the United States in a Global Context.”

With over 35 years of experience, Dr. Harkavy-Friedman—Senior Vice President of Research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Associate Professor at Columbia University—shared insights from her extensive research on suicidal behavior among adolescents and adults.

The seminar explored suicide prevention in both U.S. and global frameworks, translating cutting-edge research into clinical applications. Dr. Harkavy-Friedman was the first to investigate suicidal ideation among high school students, a groundbreaking contribution to the field.

This series, hosted by Professor Christian Rück, features leading experts from around the world and aims to deepen our understanding of suicide prevention.

Missed the seminar?
You can watch the full recording here.

We are excited to announce several new grants awarded to members of our research group by Forte. These grants will support important projects aimed at improving psychiatric care, focusing on innovative interventions, ethical challenges, and understanding patient outcomes.

Fredrik Johansson
Type of grant: Establishment Grant
Project Title: Restraint, Seclusion and Forced Medication in Compulsory Psychiatric In-patient Care: Who are Exposed and What Follows?
Grant Amount: 3,543,000 SEK
Project description: The project will investigate the quality of Swedish register data on coercive interventions in involuntary psychiatric in-patient care in order to: 1) determine the occurrence of coercive interventions, 2) identify risk factors of coercive interventions, and 3) determine long-term outcomes of coercive interventions, among persons in involuntary psychiatric in-patient care.

Oskar Flygare
Type of grant: Establishment Grant
Project Title: The Effect of Augmenting Standard Care with Caring Text Messages for Suicide Prevention – A Randomized Clinical Trial
Grant Amount: 3,670,000 SEK
Project Description: This study aims to evaluate a scalable intervention that can be implemented immediately after discharge from inpatient psychiatric care. The intervention, known as Caring Contacts, consists of a series of supportive text messages sent to patients without placing any demands on them. The goal is to determine if this intervention reduces suicide attempts within a year after discharge

Manne Sjöstrand
Type of grant: Project Grant
Project Title: Suicide Risk Assessments in Psychiatric Care: Clinical and Ethical Challenges
Grant Amount: 4,891,000 SEK

We are thrilled to announce that Christian Rück has been nominated for the August Prize in the non-fiction category for his book Ett liv värt att leva!

The August Prize is a Swedish literary award, presented annually by the Swedish Publishers’ Association since 1989.

Congratulations!