Academic Psychiatry and CADE Clinic

Research in psychiatry is integrated into clinical practice, and involves a number of academic and clinical psychiatry groups. It spans mood disorders, consultation liaison psychiatry and drug and alcohol services. A good example of this integration is the CADE Clinic, which is embedded within the Department of Academic Psychiatry. The clinic is a state-wide specialist service that is based at Royal North Shore Hospital. As part of the Northern Sydney Local Health District, the University of Sydney and Kolling Institute, the clinic acts as a hub for clinical research and education.

In practice, the service addresses the needs of patients suffering from complex mood disorders and is managed by Professor Malhi and his dedicated team of researcher-clinicians./rse

Lead

People

Network

Projects

Professor Gin Malhi

Psychiatry Chair, Executive and Clinical Director, CADE Clinic
School of Medicine, The University of Sydney

Dr Erica Bell

Clinical Lecturer, The University of Sydney

Dr Kinga Szymaniak

Senior Research Officer, Northern Sydney Local Health District

Dr Gurubhaskar Shivakumar

Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney

Yan Yau Wong

Clinical Trial Coordinator, Northern Sydney Local Health District

The CADE team has developed strong national and international collaborations involving world-renowned experts. In addition to contributing directly to research, these international networks have been key in the development of national guidelines for the management of mood disorders – impacting policy-making nationally and internationally via the World Health Organization.

The research team makes use of clinical and neuropsychological assessments in conjunction with functional neuroimaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural basis of mood disorders in adolescents and adults.
Recent research has focused on understanding the emergence of mood disorders and the prevention of suicide. Interest has been especially centred on determining the potential role of lifestyle and psychological therapies.
The team is also interested in understanding the mechanisms of action of pharmacological therapies, such as lithium and in particular, it’s neuroprotective properties.

Aims

The thrust of our research is the investigation of mechanisms, and our research is aimed at identifying the processes that drive adaptive resilience.
Identify the neural signature of suicidal thinking and behaviour to develop target-specific initiatives that can prevent suicide.