S66: Developmental Trauma and Psychosis

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By September 12, 2019 No Comments

Authors: Roger Gurr

Year: 2019

Event: 2019 TheMHS Conference

Subject: Developmental Trauma and Psychosis

Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers

Abstract:

Biography:

Clinical Director, headspace Youth Early Psychosis Program, Western Sydney, and Chair of the Board of the NSW Service for the Treatment And Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors.

There is strong evidence that developmental trauma has a major role in the emergence of psychosis, and yet it has rarely been properly assessed or treated. Many of the features of psychosis (e.g. voices, delusions, functional deterioration) may be due to brain dysregulation caused by the different types of trauma (e.g. neglect, emotional abuse, physical and sexual abuse) at different stages of brain development. There is also evidence that QEEG guided neurofeedback can have a major role in treating psychosis, but ignored by mainstream psychiatry. These issues need to be further investigated in early psychosis programs.

Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 1: To inform the audience on probable causes of psychosis and possible new effective therapies.
Learning Objective 2: The new knowledge may lead to major changes in the provision of mental health services to assess and treat psychosis.

References Bikmas A (2007) The effects of childhood trauma in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Acta Psyhciatr Scand 116:371-377 doi: 10.111/j.1600-0447.207.01079.x
Surmeli T, (2013) Treating Thought Disorders. Clinical Neurotherapy: Application of Techniques for Treatment, chapter 9, Academic Press

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