St John of God opens dedicated psychosis research centre

St John of God Research Foundation (SJOG Research) has announced the opening of a new centre dedicated specifically to psychosis research.

With up to 45,000 people affected by psychosis at any one time in Ireland, the SJOG Psychosis Research Centre will aim to harness research activity and coordinate efforts across all of St John of God (SJOG) group and to offer the opportunity to strengthen collaborations nationally with other leading specialists in the area. The research outputs will inform the delivery of psychosis treatment across all relevant SJOG services and support its policies and advocacy programmes to develop improved mental health services.

A key initiative of the SJOG Psychosis Research Centre will be Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) meaning people with lived experience will be actively involved in the planning, conducting, and sharing of research findings. Conor Gavin, the Psychosis Research Centre co-ordinator has himself lived experience in this area and is looking forward to bringing it to bear in the development of the Centre.

Collaboration has always been a key part of SJOG with many international researchers in psychosis spending time training in St John of God in Ireland. The SJOG Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) Service known as ‘DETECT’ was founded in 2005 and was the first of its kind in Ireland. It has continued to provide opportunities for building alliances across the globe and it has informed international services and policies.

Professor Mary Clarke, Consultant Psychiatrist, St John of God DETECT Service said: The St John of God Psychosis Research Centre builds on a strong legacy of clinical research in psychosis, grounded in the collaboration of clinicians, researchers, and the lived experience of individuals with psychosis and their families. We are excited by the opportunity to bring diverse areas of expertise together and to learn from one another, fostering a culture of shared purpose, curiosity and respect, in pursuit of better outcomes for individuals with psychosis. We are committed to translating research into better care, from early detection and intervention to long-term recovery.

The research evidencing and acting on early intervention programmes and initiatives is a step in better care for people. 

In addition, the SJOG Psychosis Research Centre will provide research training, with a focus on supporting people to be leaders in this field. It goes further to support the full health service development and improvement cycle for psychosis, from research to policy and from implementation to evaluation.

The SJOG group of companies delivers services but also funds and carries out research on mental ill-health, implements its research findings into policy and practice, and builds clinical services based on the evidence