Institute of Psychiatry
Encyclopedia
The Institute of Psychiatry (IOP) is a research institution dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...

 and diseases of the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...

. In addition, its aim is to help identify new treatments for them and ways to prevent them in the first place. The IOP is a school of King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

History

The IOP shares a great deal of its history with the Maudsley Hospital
Maudsley Hospital
The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in South London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the country...

, with which it shares the location of its main building. Originally the "Maudsley Hospital Medical School", it changed its name to the Institute of Psychiatry in 1948 with Aubrey Lewis
Aubrey Lewis
Sir Aubrey Julian Lewis, FRCP, FRCPsych , was the first Professor of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, and is credited with being a driving force behind the flowering of British psychiatry after World War II as well as raising the profile of the profession worldwide.-Early...

 being appointed to the inaugural Chair of Psychiatry at the institute (which he held until his retirement in 1966). The main Institute building was opened in 1967 and contains lecture theatres, administrative offices, the library, and the "Cafe Diner" canteen. The Henry Wellcome
Henry Wellcome
Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome FRS was an American-British pharmaceutical entrepreneur. He founded the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome & Company with his colleague Silas Burroughs, which is one of the four large companies that merged to form GlaxoSmithKline...

 building was opened in 2001 and houses most of the IOP's psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

 department. In 2002 the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Research Centre moved into a purpose-built building of their own. In 2004 a new Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences (CNS) was opened which provides offices, lab space, and access to two MRI scanners for neuroimaging research.

The Institute subscribes to a Statement of Common Purposes which states:
"The Institute of Psychiatry and the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust work together to establish the best possible care for people who experience mental health problems. A key joint aim is promoting excellence in research, development and teaching in the sciences and disciplines key to the understanding and treatment of mental disorders and related disorders of the brain. This knowledge and the skills thus gained will be applied to prevention of these disorders, finding the most effective treatments and developing the best service models for the community."

Academic Health Sciences Centre

The UK’s largest Academic Health Sciences Centre is being created that integrates world-leading research, teaching and clinical service to deliver improvements in care for both local people and patients from further afield.

Biostatistics

This department provides expert advice in the interpretation and use of statistical techniques in psychological research. All academic staff collaborate with researchers within the IOP as well as internationally. The Computing side of the department is responsible for the installation, maintenance, and upgrading of the IOP's IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

 infrastructure. This includes desktop and laptop PCs, SUN workstations, ethernet networks, wireless networks, as well as servers and data management. They work closely with members of the Neuroimaging section in their work using brain scanners.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

The department is dedicated to the study of developmental disorder
Developmental disorder
Developmental disorders occur at some stage in a child's development, often retarding the development. These may include,psychological or physical disorders. The disorder is an impairment in the normal development of motor or cognitive skills that are developed before age 18 in which they are...

s such as ADHD, clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...

, autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...

 and learning difficulties. In addition to research, the department offers two taught courses, a diploma in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and an MSc
MSC
- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...

 in Child & Adolescent Mental Health. The department has close links with the Michael Rutter
Michael Rutter
For the motorcycle racer, see Michael Rutter Sir Michael L. Rutter is the first consultant of child psychiatry in the United Kingdom. He has been described as the "father of child psychology"...

 Centre for Children and Young People at the Maudsley Hospital which has a number of specialist services for children and adolescents.

Computing and Knowledge Management

The computing team provides supports the computer network, file serving and image processing services. The knowledge management team provides information management support, encompassing library, records management and archive, e-learning, web and audio visual services.

Forensic Mental Health Science

Forensic Mental Health Science is the study of antisocial
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that lacks consideration for others and that may cause damage to society, whether intentionally or through negligence, as opposed to pro-social behaviour, behaviour that helps or benefits society...

, violent, and criminal
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...

 behaviours among people with mental disorders. Clients may have a pattern of antisocial behaviour that may include violence, crime, and substance abuse. The department's research focuses on antisocial behaviour
Behavior
Behavior or behaviour refers to the actions and mannerisms made by organisms, systems, or artificial entities in conjunction with its environment, which includes the other systems or organisms around as well as the physical environment...

 as it appears in people with either major mental disorders or personality disorder
Personality disorder
Personality disorders, formerly referred to as character disorders, are a class of personality types and behaviors. Personality disorders are noted on Axis II of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-IV-TR of the American Psychiatric Association.Personality disorders are...

s. The objectives are to identify the causes of antisocial behaviour, create effective treatments, and prevent it from occurring in the first place. The department is closely allied to the Forensic Psychiatry Teaching Unit, which offers MSc
MSC
- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...

 courses in Clinical Forensic Psychology & Psychiatry and Forensic Mental Health Science.

Neuroscience

Neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...

 is the study of the nervous system, primarily associated with the brain. Researchers in this department carry out a range of studies into diseases such as Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...

 and motor neuron disease. The Institute of Psychiatry now houses the Medical Research Council
Medical Research Council (UK)
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded agency responsible for co-ordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is one of seven Research Councils in the UK and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...

 Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, where pioneering research is conducted investigating disease of the CNS
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...

. This department offers an MSc
MSC
- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...

 course in Neuroscience, open to graduates from a range of backgrounds MSc Neuroscience.

Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences

The Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences (CNS) is a joint venture of the King's College London Institute of Psychiatry and the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLAM). Completed in early 2004, the centre provides, under one roof, an interdisciplinary research environment that combines the development of contemporary, high resolution structural, functional and metabolic mapping techniques, with expertise in the definition, diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. The Clinical Neuroimaging Department, situated at the Maudsley Hospital
Maudsley Hospital
The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in South London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the country...

, provides a full range of neuroradiographic imaging services, including Plain Radiography
Radiography
Radiography is the use of X-rays to view a non-uniformly composed material such as the human body. By using the physical properties of the ray an image can be developed which displays areas of different density and composition....

, Computerised Tomography (CT)
Computed tomography
X-ray computed tomography or Computer tomography , is a medical imaging method employing tomography created by computer processing...

, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...

. For research studies, the CNS houses a dedicated GE 3.0T HDx MRI scanner (which is also made available for clinical and advanced clinical scanning, where appropriate). Additionally, there is a General Electric SIGNA 1.5T neuro-optimised MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...

 system housed in an adjacent building. Both machines (along with the clinical 1.5T scanner, also General Electric HDx system) are capable of performing functional, spectroscopic, anatomical and pathological mapping techniques.

Psychology

The IOP Psychology department was founded in 1950 and is currently one of the largest communities of clinical and health psychologists in the world. The department conducts world-class research in neuropsychology
Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain related to specific psychological processes and behaviors. The term neuropsychology has been applied to lesion studies in humans and animals. It has also been applied to efforts to record electrical activity from individual cells in...

, forensic psychology
Forensic psychology
Forensic psychology is the intersection between psychology and the criminal justice system. It involves understanding criminal law in the relevant jurisdictions in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges, attorneys and other legal professionals...

, and cognitive behavioural therapy. Hans Eysenck
Hans Eysenck
Hans Jürgen Eysenck was a German-British psychologist who spent most of his career in Britain, best remembered for his work on intelligence and personality, though he worked in a wide range of areas...

 set up the UK's first qualification in clinical psychology
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...

 in the department, which has now evolved into a three-year doctoral 'DClinPsych' qualification, with many of the course lectures delivered by leading experts in the field. The course has 20 students in each year, the majority of whom go on to become clinical psychologists in the NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...

. Clinically, members of the department offer expert services to the Maudsley Hospital
Maudsley Hospital
The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in South London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the country...

, Bethlem Royal Hospital
Bethlem Royal Hospital
The Bethlem Royal Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in London, United Kingdom and part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Although no longer based at its original location, it is recognised as the world's first and oldest institution to specialise in mental illnesses....

, King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is an acute care facility in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH"...

, Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...

 and community mental health teams in the South London area. Members of the department also teach psychology to undergraduate medical students from the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals
United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals
The United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals was the name given to the joint medical and dental school formed in London as a result of the merger of Guy's Hospital Medical School, St Thomas's Hospital Medical School and the Royal Dental Hospital of London.The merged...

. Psychiatric geneticist Peter McGuffin
Peter McGuffin
Peter McGuffin is a psychiatric geneticist from Belfast, Northern Ireland.After emigrating with his parents at aged 10 to the Isle of Wight, he first decided that he wanted to be a psychiatrist at the age of 16 after coming across Freud’s Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, in a local public...

 was awarded a fellowship at the Institute.

Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP)

The SGDP centre is a multi-disciplinary research centre devoted to the study of the interplay between “nature” (genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....

) and “nurture” (environment) as they interact in the development of complex human behaviour. Research at the SGDP acknowledges that there is no simple solution to the "nature versus nurture
Nature versus nurture
The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities versus personal experiences The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature," i.e. nativism, or innatism) versus personal experiences...

" debate; instead, expertise is combined across fields such as social epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...

, child and adult psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...

, developmental psychopathology
Developmental disorder
Developmental disorders occur at some stage in a child's development, often retarding the development. These may include,psychological or physical disorders. The disorder is an impairment in the normal development of motor or cognitive skills that are developed before age 18 in which they are...

, development in the family, personality traits, cognitive abilities, statistical genetics, and molecular genetics
Molecular genetics
Molecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...

. In this way it is hoped that a greater understanding can be achieved in risk factors that might predispose an individual to depression, ADHD, or autism.

Section of Neurobiology of Psychosis

Our mission is to advance the understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Our work on the major psychoses has focused on integrating cognitive measures and neuroimaging techniques, with perinatal, genetic and developmental data. The central aim is to characterize the core pathophysiological dimensions of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in the belief that our knowledge of these disorders can eventually become synthesised into a more coherent understanding of mental functioning. Pioneering and evaluating treatment interventions to improve the lives of affected patients and their families. Research into the aetiology and pathophysiology of psychosis is vital for providing a theoretical framework for developing long-term treatment strategies. However, it is also important to contribute to research that has the potential of improving patients’ care and quality of life in the more immediate future. The section has therefore initiated or participated a number of such treatment studies of new atypical antipsychotics and potential mood stabilising medication and is also developing computerised and web-based applications for disease self-management.
The section head is Dr. Sophia Sophia Frangou
Sophia Frangou
Sophia Frangou is Reader in Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London where she heads the Neurobiology of Psychosis section. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and of the European Psychiatric Association and Vice-President for Research of the...

 supported by 15 postdoctoral and doctoral researchers.

Funding

Approximately 70% of the IOP's income comes from the research it conducts. Approximately 20% is from clinical work performed for the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. Approximately 10% of gross income is from taught courses offered to postgraduate students.

Sources include the government's National Institute for Health Research
National Institute for Health Research
The National Institute for Health Research is a UK government body that coordinates and funds research for the National Health Service . Its tagline is "Improving the health and wealth of the nation through research". It supports individuals, facilities and research projects, in order to help...

 and Higher Education Funding Council for England
Higher Education Funding Council for England
The Higher Education Funding Council for England is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in the United Kingdom, which has been responsible for the distribution of funding to Universities and Colleges of Higher and Further Education in England since...

, grant-giving bodies such as the Medical Research Council (UK)
Medical Research Council (UK)
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded agency responsible for co-ordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is one of seven Research Councils in the UK and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...

 and the Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...

, as well as other governmental, charitable and private-sector organisations. Individual research teams secure around £130 million of funds for their projects each year. Many projects are carried out in partnership with other university and health services, charities and private companies.

The IOP and the pharmaceutical company Lundbeck
Lundbeck
H. Lundbeck A/S is a Danish international pharmaceutical company engaged in the research and development, production, marketing, and sale of drugs for the treatment of disorders in the central nervous system , including depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease,...

 are leading one of the largest ever academic-industry collaborations in research, known as NEWMEDS - Novel Methods leading to New Medications in Depression and Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...

. The project is part of the Innovative Medicines Initiative developed by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations
European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations
European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations is a Brussels-based trade union founded in 1978 representing the research-based pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe....

 and the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....

. NEWMEDS aims to facilitate the development of new psychiatric medications by bringing top scientists and academics together in partnership with nearly every major global drug company.

Former staff and students

Amongst former staff of the Institute are the following:
  • E. J. Anthony
  • E. W. Anderson
  • E. A. Bennet
  • Anthony Clare
    Anthony Clare
    Anthony Ward Clare was an Irish psychiatrist well known in the UK and Ireland as a presenter of radio and TV programmes.-Career:...

  • John Cutting
    John Cutting (psychiatrist)
    Dr. John Charles Cutting, who writes as Dr. John Cutting , is a British psychiatrist specializing in schizophrenia research...

  • Jack Dewsbury
  • Hans Eysenck
    Hans Eysenck
    Hans Jürgen Eysenck was a German-British psychologist who spent most of his career in Britain, best remembered for his work on intelligence and personality, though he worked in a wide range of areas...

  • Trevor Gibbens
  • W. H. Gillespie
  • Jeffrey Alan Gray
    Jeffrey Alan Gray
    Jeffrey Alan Gray was a British psychologist. He was born in the East End of London. His father was a tailor, but died when Jeffrey was only seven. His mother, who ran a haberdashery, brought him up alone....

  • Denis Hill
  • Aubrey Lewis
    Aubrey Lewis
    Sir Aubrey Julian Lewis, FRCP, FRCPsych , was the first Professor of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, and is credited with being a driving force behind the flowering of British psychiatry after World War II as well as raising the profile of the profession worldwide.-Early...

  • Bertram Mandelbrote
  • Emanuel Miller
  • Gordon Prince
  • Adrian Owen
    Adrian Owen
    Adrian Owen is a British neuroscientist.-Academic History:Adrian M. Owen completed his Ph.D. at the Institute of Psychiatry, London between 1988 and 1992. In 1992, Dr. Owen moved to the Cognitive Neuroscience Unit at the Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University to work with Michael...

  • Henri Rey
  • Martin Roth
    Martin Roth
    Professor Sir Martin Roth FRS was a British psychiatrist.He was Professor of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, 1977–85, then Professor Emeritus, and was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge from 1977. He was one of the pioneers in developing Psychogeriatrics as a subspecialty.-References:...

  • William Sargant
    William Sargant
    William Walters Sargant was a controversial British psychiatrist who is remembered for the evangelical zeal with which he promoted treatments such as psychosurgery, deep sleep treatment, electroconvulsive therapy and insulin shock therapy.Sargant studied medicine at St John's College, Cambridge,...

  • Clifford Scott
  • Peter Scott
    Peter Scott
    Sir Peter Markham Scott, CH, CBE, DSC and Bar, MID, FRS, FZS, was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer and sportsman....

    (psychiatrist)
  • Michael Shepherd
    Michael Shepherd (psychiatrist)
    Michael Shepherd, CBE, FRCP, FRCPsych , FAPA , FAPHA was one of the most influential and internationally respected psychiatrists of his time, formerly Professor of Epidemiological Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Consultant Psychiatrist, The Maudsley Hospital, London and author of a number...

  • John Sinden
  • David Stafford-Clark
    David Stafford-Clark
    David Stafford-Clark was an English psychiatrist and author. He was educated at Felsted and University of London.Stafford-Clark did war service in charge of Waterbeach hospital, Cambridgeshire at the home of RAF Bomber Command. He was mentioned in dispatches twice as a result of taking part in raids...

  • Erwin Stengel
  • William Trethowan

See also

  • Maudsley Bipolar Twin Study
    Maudsley Bipolar Twin Study
    The Maudsley Bipolar Twin Study is an ongoing twin study of bipolar disorder running at the Institute of Psychiatry, London since 2003. The study is investigating possible differences between people with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and people without the diagnosis...

  • Section of Neurobiology of Psychosis
    Sophia Frangou
    Sophia Frangou is Reader in Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London where she heads the Neurobiology of Psychosis section. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and of the European Psychiatric Association and Vice-President for Research of the...


External links

  • Official website
  • The Institute recently published a comprehensive report of its research activities, which can be accessed here.
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