Category: News

At this year’s edition of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT) conference, we were represented by the eminent Maria Bragesjö and Max Sannemalm.

Maria contributed with a keynote with the title “Challenges and perspectives in prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD”, a panel discussion on the theme “New age of CBT – challenges and perspective”, and a three-hour workshop on prolonged exposure.

Max had a contribution in an open paper symposium on OCD, titled “Treating OCD in 4 days: the Bergen 4-Day Treatment versus gold standard CBT.”

We are so happy that Maria and Max are sharing their expertise on PTSD and OCD with our colleagues internationally!

This week PhD student Olly Kravchenko successfully completed her half-time review for her doctoral project titled Predicting health and socioeconomic outcomes in patients with common psychiatric disorders.

Olly’s research focuses on precision psychiatry, specifically on predicting outcomes in internet-mediated cognitive behavioral therapy for individuals with common psychiatric disorders. The project utilizes a large sample of 2,668 patients, with extensive clinical data, including genotyping for all participants, and links to multiple national registers.

Olly’s supervisors are Christian Rück (main supervisor), John Wallert (co-supervisor), and Ralf Kuja-Halkola (co-supervisor).

Stay tuned for more exciting updates from Olly Kracvchenko and her team!

From August 28-31, 2024, several members of the Saving Lives project attended the 20th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behavior (ESSSB20) in Rome, Italy. This conference brought together leading experts and researchers from across Europe, all sharing a common goal: advancing and addressing critical aspects of suicide research.

The symposium offered a wide range of topics, eveeything from the ethical implications of euthanasia in relation to suicide, innovative public health interventions, to the integration of National Suicide Prevention Strategies across different countries.

Overall, it highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary approaches in addressing suicide risk and prevention , stressing the need for collaboration between clinical practice, public health initiatives, and policy development.

The event provisded inspiring and thought-provoking days, leaving us with valuable insights to bring back to our own projects.

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. At Rücklab, we are conducting multiple research projects with the goal of better understanding, predicting, and preventing suicide. Some of our research projects include:

The Saving Lives project aims to create the world’s largest multimodal suicide cohort by combining genetic and environmental data. By identifying various risk factors and developing prediction models, the project seeks to improve the prediction and prevention of suicide. [Learn more here]

The Suicide and Compulsory Mental Care project seeks to understand the high suicide risk among psychiatric patients who have experienced compulsory mental care in Sweden. By analyzing a 40-year national dataset, researchers aim to identify risk factors, improve clinical decision-making, and ultimately reduce suicide rates in this vulnerable group. [Learn more here]

We are hiring a new research assistant to join the Rück research group!

Are you passionate about contributing to top-tier psychiatric research? The research group led by Christian Rück at Karolinska Institutet offers a unique opportunity to be part of an inspiring work environment.

The Rück research group is large and engages in a broad spectrum of psychiatric research, addressing topics such as suicide, compulsory mental care, OCD, PTSD, fatigue, and outcome prediction for CBT treatment. As a research assistant, your role will involve project coordination, research tasks, and communication with various partners.

We’re looking for someone with a strong interest in research, excellent administrative skills, and flexibility. Prior experience in research-related activities is a plus, and fluency in Swedish and English is required.

Read more and apply here.

Are you reading this from a hammock, or perhaps muttering to yourself in uncomfortable summer traffic on your way to work? Either way, we have a recommendation to enhance your summer relaxation or commute.

We suggest tuning into the A-Kursen podcast with hosts Emma Frans and Clara Wallin. In this special episode, they are joined by our very own Christian Rück, along with other fascinating guests: Dr. Caroline Uggla, an expert in evolutionary anthropology, and Erik Angner, an economist and philosopher. Together, they delve into the profound topic, “What is the meaning of life?”

A related summer recommendation: Christian’s book Ett liv värt att leva came out earlier this year. It delves into the complex and often troubling subject of suicide, examining its nuances and the profound questions it raises about life and death.

Our research group is thrilled to announce even more grants that will support our ongoing and future projects. These funds will enable the exploration of innovative treatments and interventions in psychiatric care, as well as contribute to the understanding and improvement of mental health outcomes.

Volen Ivanov: In-home decluttering+CBT for hoarding disorder

Project Name: A randomized controlled trial and process evaluation of in-home decluttering augmentation of group cognitive-behavioral therapy for hoarding disorder.
Grant Amount from ALF: 600 000 SEK

Philip Brenner: Mapping Psychological Treatments

Project Name: The Swedish Psychiatric Outpatient Register Study (SPROut)
Grant Amount from ALF: 600.000 SEK

Maria Bragesjö: Intensive Trauma-Focused CBT for PTSD

Project Name: Intensive Trauma-Focused CBT Compared to Usual Weekly Treatment for Adults with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomised Controlled Trial

John Wallert: Risk Calculator for Psychiatric Care Outcomes

Project Name: A Population-Based Risk Calculator for Adverse Outcomes After Discharge from Involuntary Psychiatric Care
Grant Amount from ALF: 1.1 MKR

Lina Martinsson: Physical Exercise as Add-On Treatment

Project Name: Braining: Physical Exercise as Add-On Treatment in Psychiatric Care
Grant Amount from ALF: 1 MKR

Christian Rück: Improving suicide prediction and prevention

Project Name: Saving lives: building a total nationwide multimodal suicide cohort to improve precision in prediction and prevention of suicide
Grant Amount from ALF: 1,9 MKR

Elin Lindsäter: Fatigue as a trans diagnostic symtom dimension

Project Name: Fatigue as a transdiagnostic symptom dimension – Novel approaches to assessment and treatment in primary healthcare
Grant: AFA Insurance and Alecta via their call “The Path to Mental Health in Working Life”
Grant Amount: 2.2 MKR
More Information: New Grant for KI Researcher on Mental Health in the Workplace

We are pleased to announce that three projects have been awarded funding from The Center for Innovative Medicine (CIMED): This support includes project grants for Christian Rück and John Wallert have received project grants and Volen Ivanov has been awarded clinical research months (3 research months per year in three years).

These are the projects

Volen Ivanov – Solving the hypochondriasis paradox: Towards a better integration of somatic and psychiatric care for individuals with health anxiety.

John Wallert – A population-based risk calculator for adverse outcomes after discharge from involuntary psychiatric care.

Christian Rück – Saving lives: building a total nationwide multimodal suicide cohort to improve precision in prediction and prevention of suicide.

We congratulate our researchers on their well-deserved funding and look forward to the work that will result from these projects.

Physical activity benefits both physical and mental health. But how exactly does exercise aid in alleviating depression, anxiety, and stress? This is the question Lina Martinsson answers in the latest episode of KI’s podcast Medicinvetarna: Lyssnarfrågan.

– Among other things, exercise leads to increased activity and blood flow in the brain, as well as increased release of certain substances associated with the positive effects of depression treatment, such as dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin and a substance called bdnf, brain derived neurotrophic factor, which supports other cells in the brain, she says.

She advises engaging in enjoyable and sustainable forms of exercise. To promote physical activity among psychiatric patients, Dr. Martinsson and her colleagues have developed an initiative called “Braining” (training for the brain).

For a deeper dive into this topic, listen to episode #10 of KI’s popular science podcast, Medicinvetarna.

You can read more about the Braining project at their awesome website www.braining.nu.

We are looking for two research assistants to perform blinded clinical assessments with study participants in our projects on Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) chronic tics.

We are seeking two part-time research assistants for approximately 2 hours per week from August 2024 for one year.

Your Role (Swedish-speaking):

• Conduct clinical assessments with project participants via video calls.
• Work remotely from anywhere in Sweden, with occasional on-site work at Huddinge Hospital in Region Stockholm for training and quarterly team meetings.
• Ensure quick direct communication and supervision with the research team during remote assessments.

Apply by 13 June.