Category: News

We have recently seen several familiar names pop up in Psykologtidningen! Both Volen Ivanov and Maria Bragesjö have been quoted about various treatment methods, and Elizabeth Guest has together with co-authors contributed a debate article about the need to investigate whether the current format of the Swedish psychology program fits the needs of clinical mental health care.

Read it here: https://psykologtidningen.se/2025/05/28/uppmanar-regeringen-utred-psykologprogrammen/  

We are happy to announce that Fredrik just received financing from the Karolinska Institute’s Center for Innovative Medicine!

Fredrik Johansson – Restraint, seclusion and forced medication in involuntary psychiatric in-patient care: Who are exposed and what follows? (2 400 000 SEK)

Restraint, seclusion, and forced medication may be used in in-patient involuntary psychiatric care when patients refuse necessary treatment and are assessed as posing a danger to themselves or others. These involuntary measures are controversial, yet the scientific evidence base remains limited. Swedish authorities have set goals to improve patient safety and legal security for individuals receiving involuntary psychiatric in-patient care. Achieving this requires knowledge of which patients are at greatest risk of being subjected to involuntary interventions. Government reports have identified significant knowledge gaps concerning the long-term effects of coercive measures and have called for more research in this area. This project investigates which patients are at highest risk of being subjected to involuntary measures, as well as the long-term consequences of such interventions, with the aim of enabling safer care for psychiatric inpatients. 

Last week we were happy to learn that two of the group’s projects have received funding from Forte! We are excited to see the interest in and support for our research and look forward to pursuing the following projects: 

John Wallert – A population-based risk calculator for negative outcomes following discharge from involuntary psychiatric care (5 940 000 SEK) 

Involuntary psychiatric care (IPC) patients are at particularly high risk for suicide, self-harm, and acute readmission after hospital discharge. Deciding on discharge after IPC is therefore critical, yet today it is based on subjective judgement and limited data. The overarching purpose of this project is to develop and validate a novel risk calculator for IPC patients when planning for their discharge. The calculator will add a novel and transparent evidence-base that can improve the decision process and reduce adverse events. 
 

Christian Rück – Psychological treatment for suicidal patients in psychiatric inpatient care (5 956 000 SEK) 

Suicide is a critical public health issue, causing over 700,000 deaths globally annually, with around 1,600 in Sweden. Psychiatric inpatients face a significantly high suicide risk, particularly following recent discharge. Given that prior suicide attempts and self-harm are strong risk factors, there is an urgent need for suicide-specific interventions specifically for those hospitalized after suicide attempts. Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (BCBT) has shown promising results in reducing suicide attempts and psychiatric readmissions in a recent U.S. trial. However, key questions remain regarding its replicability, long-term impact, and scalability. This project therefore aims to answer whether BCBT is feasible, effective both short- and long-term, and cost-effective in Swedish inpatient care. 

Maria Bragesjö and Sim Jamil are currently attending the 18th European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Conference in Tbilisi, Georgia, to present their research.

On Thursday, Maria gave a masterclass on Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy, during which she discussed imaginal exposure and strategies for its effective application in PE therapy. 

Sim presented a poster on intensive prolonged exposure therapy in a Swedish setting. Her results show promising effects, and we look forward to continuing to follow her work! 

Our course AI in Mental Healthcare is now up and running! Over two intense weeks, the interdisciplinary course brings together students from near and far that together will explore both the exciting possibilities and the complex challenges of applying AI in mental healthcare.

Last week, the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap featured an extensive interview with our very own Maria about her work with ptsd. Read the full issue here!

You read it right—Rücklab now has a LinkedIn page! We would very much appreciate it if you wanted to follow our work also HERE! 🎉

Last week, the first-ever Swedish Suicide Research Conference, an interdisciplinary event aimed at furthering suicide research, took place here in Stockholm. On the agenda were several presentations from the Rück research group: 

Christian gave a talk on how suicide seems to be a uniquely human phenomenon, as it is not observed among other species, and discussed the role of the mature human brain in its occurrence.  

Leoni presented her research on suicide following involuntary psychiatric care in Sweden. Her work confirms the high-risk status of involuntary psychiatric care patients, and emphasizes the importance of appropriate clinical considerations, monitoring, risk assessment, and care among such patients.  

Oskar gave a presentation on his research on short- and long-term risk factors for suicide and suicide reattempt. In doing so, he highlighted the roles of hopelessness, relationship problems, and worsening of depressive symptoms as potential risk- or protective factors for self-harm repetition. 

Manne shared the preliminary results of research related to suicide risk assessments, in which the team interviewed psychiatry specialists about their approaches to uncertainties of suicide risk assessments, and how they are dealt with in actual clinical practice. 

Fredrik presented research on sex- and age-specific risk indicators of suicide. In doing so, he underscored the difficulty of identifying high-risk males, as well as the importance of considering this challenge when developing suicide prevention measures.  

Further information about the research presented can be found here.  

We applaud our presenters for a job well done! 👏🏼

We are happy to welcome our new research assistant, Lovisa Bergdahl, to the Rück research group! Lovisa has a background in both business and psychology, with undergraduate degrees from the Stockholm School of Economics and Uppsala University. She has previously done work on organizational psychology, decision-making, and AI, and is now looking forward to contributing to the various projects of the team!  

Welcome!  

Congratulations, Susanna!

Today, our talented Susanna Österman successfully defended her thesis Improving Detection and Treatment of Health Anxiety: Diagnostic Tools, Digital Interventions, and Substance-Related Risks in Alfred Nobels allé at Karolinska Institutet (KI), Flemingsberg. Opponent was Professor David Tolin, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine.

Also present were principal supervisor Volen Ivanov and co-supervisors Erland Axelsson (KI), Erik Hedman-Lagerlöf (KI) and Nils Lindefors (KI). The examination board consisted of Ann-Sophie Lindqvist Bagge (University of Gothenburg), Sven Alfonsson (KI), Erik Pettersson (KI).

What is severe health anxiety?
Severe health anxiety is a disabling condition where individuals experience persistent and excessive fear of illness. These fears lead to considerable emotional distress, impair daily functioning, and reduce overall quality of life. Although evidence-based treatments are available, many individuals remain undiagnosed and go without the support they need.

Susanna’s thesis set out to tackle these challenges by exploring how severe health anxiety can be better understood, detected and treated.

Click here to read the full thesis!

The entire Rück research group is incredibly proud of you, Susanna, and your important contributions toward improving care for people affected by this condition. 💐💐