Better Thinking

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Mark Horowitz about exploring expert strategies for tapering off SSRIs and managing withdrawal symptoms. Dr Mark Horowitz MBBS PhD is a Clinical Research Fellow in Psychiatry in the National Health Service (NHS) in England and an Honorary Research Fellow at University College London (UCL) and a trainee psychiatrist. He runs a deprescribing clinic in the NHS helping people to stop psychiatric medications. He co-authored the Royal College of Psychiatry guidance on “Stopping Antidepressants”, and his work informed the recent National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on safe discontinuation of psychiatric medications. He also published work on how to safely taper antipsychotics in JAMA Psychiatry and Schizophrenia Bulletin. He has authored chapters of the Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines on how to stop mood stabilisers, antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, z-drugs and gabapentinoids. He is currently writing the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines in Psychiatry which will be published in 2023. He is Co-Investigator on the RELEASE trial in Australia evaluating the effect of gradual, hyperbolic tapering of antidepressants compared to care as usual. He has an interest in rational psychopharmacology and deprescribing psychiatric medication. He has experienced the difficulty of coming off psychiatric medications first-hand which has informed much of his work. His work can be found at https://markhorowitz.org/ Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/mark-horowitzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Suzy Green enhancing mental health outcomes in organizations and schools through positive psychology, emphasizing the promotion of mental wellbeing over solely addressing mental illness. Dr Suzy Green is a Clinical Psychologist with extensive experience in the treatment of mental illness, Dr Green is on a mission to reduce the impact of mental illness in our workplaces, schools and communities and promote the value of improving mental wellness. Dr Green is the CEO & Founder of The Positivity Institute, an organisation dedicated to the research and application of Positive Psychology in workplaces and schools. Dr Green is an Honorary Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of East London and also holds honorary academic positions at the Centre for Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne and the Black Dog Institute. Dr Green is also an affiliate of the Institute for Wellbeing at Cambridge University. Its a great pleasure to speak with Dr Green on the topic of enhancing MH outcomes in organisations and schools through positive psychology and focusing toward promoting mental wellbeing rather than mental illness alone. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/suzy-greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Jayashri Kulkarni about her research on the connections between mental health, such as depression, with premenstrual cycles most notably premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and premenstrual exacerbation (PME). Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM graduated in Medicine from Monash University in 1981 and became a Fellow of the College of Psychiatrists in 1988. Jayashri commenced her appointment as Professor of Psychiatry at The Alfred and Monash University in 2002. Professor Kulkarni founded and directs two research centres – HER Centre Australia and the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc). She is also Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Central Clinical School, Monash University -Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences.Jayashri has conducted ground-breaking clinical research and is internationally acknowledged as a leader and expert in the field of Women’s Mental Health, in particular, for her innovative work on reproductive hormones and mental illness. Her world-first research in hormones and mental health has led to the development of new treatments for women with mental ill health. She developed and launched Australia’s first women’s mental health hospital at Cabrini Health in September 2021. Jayashri received an Order of Australia (AM) in 2019 for her services to Medicine. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/jayashri-kulkarniSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Lucette Cysique about the importance of understanding post-viral syndromes and how it can pave the way for enhanced long-term outcomes, benefiting both individuals and the wider community. Associate Professor Lucette Cysique, a neuropsychologist researcher whos intrests lie in Modelling neurocognitive and brain changes based on chronic infectious conditions such as HIV infection and COVID-19. Lucette completed her Neuro/Psychology undergraduate and graduate degrees in France and U.K.; Neuropsychology PhD in Australia, Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging Post-docs in US and Australia. Currently, Lucette is a Senior Lecturer at UNSW school of Psychology and she also Leads & co-lead NeuroHIV trials nationally and internationally. In addition, Lucette is Chair of the NeuroCOVID International Neuropsychological Society Special Interest Group. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/lucette-cysiqueSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Anna Kiaos about qualitative research methods and practices, offering valuable insights into understanding mental health within organisations. Dr Anna Kiaos is a critical ethnographer with a passion for psychiatry, psychology and mental health. Her research explores the boundary between the psychological and societal focused views of the self. Specifically, her PhD research encompassed several interconnected topics, notably, managerial ideology, normative control, the underlying systems of cultural and subcultural meaning with a particularly strong focus on conceptions of self enacted in everyday working life and how such enactments reflect self consciousness from the perspective of various cohorts in the workplace. T.A. Kiaos trained under Professor Gideon Kunda, Tel Aviv University. She has consulted with organisations in a variety of industries, including government, healthcare organisations, consulting firms and private enterprise to assess and improve an organisation’s ideology, culture, culture change management practices and approaches to leadership. T.A. Kiaos received her PhD in Management from Macquarie University Business School and her Master of Health Communication from the University of Sydney. She currently works for the University of New South Wales, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health. She is heavily involved with leading projects and her work involves close collaboration across ample research centres and groups, including the Centre for Healthy Brain and Aging (CHeBA), the Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry (3DN) along with the Discipline's Medical Research Institutes, notably, Black Dog Institute, Ingham Institute and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA). Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/anna-kiaosSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Philip Jean-Richard Dit Bressel about his research on neural circuitry using animal models to explore reward and punishment paradigms, their impact on decision-making processes, alongside a discussion on the gamification of research protocols in human studies. Dr Philip Jean-Richard Dit Bressel is a behavioural neuroscientist at UNSW School of Psychology. Currently investigating psychobiological mechanisms of motivated learning by combining precision neuroscience techniques (e.g fibre photometry, optogenetics) with behavioural paradigms and multi-pronged analysis approaches. His research endeavors to unveil the psychology and biology underlying the acquisition of associations between environmental cues, behavior, and outcomes, enabling adaptive behavioral modifications. His primary focus lies in unraveling the mechanisms of punishment learning, particularly how individuals discern actions leading to adverse outcomes. This investigation holds significance in comprehending and enhancing decision-making processes in daily life. Furthermore, it holds relevance in various conditions marked by deficiencies in punishment learning, including substance and behavioral addictions (such as drug addiction and gambling disorder), psychopathy (such as antisocial personality disorder), and depression. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/philip-jean-richard-dit-bresselSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Michael Kasumovic about how humans respond to status both percieved and actual and how this can moderate specific behaviour. Michael Matthew Kasumovic is an Associate Professor at University of New South Wales and Teacher & Director of Arludo. His research explores how the social environment shapes the evolution of individual traits and behaviours. In this broad research question, Michael has explored how access to resources in insects, animals and humans moderates evolutionary decisions. Interestingly, Michael has worked with insects such as spiders and crickets to explore how changes in the density of males and females affects developmental decisions, and the outcome this has for how individuals perform and age. Michael's research on humans explores how our evolutionary history can explain gender differences in the video games we choose to play and how this affects how we perceive ourselves and behave. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/michael-kasumovicSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Tayla Degan about health literacy and how important it is to consider both as a clinican and as a consumer of health services. Dr Tayla Degan is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), University of New South Wales, Australia. She is also a registered Clinical Psychologist working in private practice at Beachside Physiotherapy and Psychology, Cronulla NSW. She has research expertise and interest in populations of people living with mental health and substance use disorders. Her PhD research focused on the health literacy of people accessing specialist mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Tayla has experience working across multiple research trials and projects, including the evaluation of treatment services, implementation of a telephone-based continuing care intervention for people discharged from residential treatment services, and is currently involved in a Phase-3 randomised controlled trial examining mirtazapine as a pharmacotherapy treatment option for methamphetamine dependence. Tayla also has a strong interest in online interventions for substance use disorders, health literacy interventions, and using co-design. Tayla has a passion for teaching and inspiring the next generation of psychologists and has lectured across multiple Australian universities. Finally, Tayla runs her own business (Our Mind Space Psychology), alongside colleague and Clinical Psychologist Kendall Allsop, running group therapy programs for adults with ADHD. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/tayla-deganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Natalie Taylor about the complexity and importance of implementation scientists and the factors that go into behaviour change within systems. Natalie Taylor is an implementation scientist. She works both in a research and consulting capacity to help develop and apply optimal ways for organisations to adopt and rollout evidence based initiatives into practice with the goal of improving outcomes for patients and health-workers. Natalie’s work involves collaborating with academic, health, and non-profit organisations across NSW, Australia, and internationally. Natalie is pioneering a combination of implementation research with statistical modeling and health economics to test the cost-effectiveness of implementation interventions and explore ways to identify the active ingredients behind successful implementation of new treatments, technologies, policies, and guidelines. Natalie develops and delivers behaviour change workshops and toolkits for healthcare professionals to facilitate and test the impact of the transfer of research evidence into practice. Natalie currently leads a program of work focusing on implementation in genetics, genomics, and cancer care. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/natalie-taylorSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Conal Monaghan about dimensional models of personality disorder as well as the limitations and merits in the current diagnostic method. Dr Conal Monaghan was conferred his PhD (Clinical Psychology) from the ANU in 2019. He also graduated with a degree in marketing with a major in international business - but we don’t speak of the “dark” years. Currently, Conal works as a clinical psychologist at headspace Canberra, with PARSA’s PhD bootcamps, and as a lecturer and researcher at the ANU Research School of Psychology. Conal is lecturing on clinical assessment and statistics in the Master of Professional Practice program, and on psychometrics in the clinical psychology program. He is passionate about clinical research and assessment, dimensional models of personality disorder, clinician well-being, and working to improve youth / adolescent mental health. While writing his PhD thesis, Conal lived and researched in Trondheim, Norway and Phom Penh, Cambodia, received the NTNU promising young researcher award and Steven Klimidis award for clinical psychology, and presented his research at a range of national and international conferences. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/conal-monaghanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.