Topic “Psychosis”

A generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality". People experiencing psychosis may report hallucinations or delusional beliefs, and may exhibit personality changes and disorganized thinking. This may be accompanied by unusual or bizarre behavior, as well as difficulty with social interaction and impairment in carrying out the activities of daily living. People with schizophrenia have terrifying symptoms such as hearing voices, or believing that other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. They typically have enduring problems with memory, attention, and problem solving. Other less obvious symptoms are social isolation, problems understanding social interactions and knowing how to behave in social situations, and unusual speech and behavior.

Why can't chimps speak? Study links evolution of single gene to human capacity for language

If humans are genetically related to chimps, why did our brains develop the innate ability for language and speech while theirs did not?   

 

Overview

The Adolescent Serious Mental Illness externship program within the Center for the Assessment and Prevention of Prodromal States (CAPPS) at UCLA's Semel Institute is a 12-month training program for graduate students enrolled in an APA approved Clinical Psychology doctoral program. CAPPS is an early intervention/prevention outpatient clinical research program focused on individuals between the ages of 12 and 35 that are at high-risk for developing psychosis. The emphasis of the training is on psychosocial treatment for adolescent patients and their families, and on psychodiagnostic assessment of prodromal or subthreshold psychotic-like symptoms. Externs participate in several didactic seminars as part of the multidisciplinary treatment team at CAPPS.

 

Second Year

The Center for the Assessment and Prevention of Prodromal States and Adolescent Brain-Behavior Research Clinic (CAPPS/ABBRC) offers 2nd year research placements in neuropsychological assessment, for adolescents and young adults with psychotic disorders, and those who are at very high-risk for developing psychotic disorders. Graduate students will develop cognitive assessment skills and report-writing skills in a challenging clinical population, while broadening their understanding of brain-behavior relationships.

 

Third Year Practicum

The Center for the Assessment and Prevention of Prodromal States and Adolescent Brain-Behavior Research Clinic (CAPPS/ABBRC) offers research placements in clinical assessment and psychosocial treatment for adolescents and young adults with psychotic disorders, and those who are at very high-risk for developing psychotic disorders. Graduate students will develop diagnostic assessment and treatment skills (case management and group based interventions) with patients with serious mental illness and their families and have the opportunity to contribute to ongoing research efforts.

Instructor(s): 
Carrie Bearden
Overview

The Administration and Training Core of the UCLA Center for Neurocognition and Emotion in Schizophrenia serves the daily administrative needs of the Center. This Core involves Dr. Nuechterlein as Center PI, four other UCLA faculty members who as Center Co-PIs (Drs. Asarnow, Cannon, Green, and Yee-Bradbury), and a full-time administrative analyst (Fe Asuan). Dr. Nuechterlein is ultimately responsible for the direction, administration, and fiscal management of the Center. Drs. Asarnow, Cannon, Green, and Yee-Bradbury play key administrative roles in the Center, aiding Dr. Nuechterlein in overall coordination activities and the major administrative and management tasks that require faculty involvement.

 

These faculty members also coordinate the research career development activities of the Center, including aiding in the recruitment of appropriate trainees for an existing NIMH-supported Training Grant, "Psychological Research on Schizophrenic Conditions."

 

The pre-doctoral and post-doctoral trainees supported by these Training Grants (PI: K. Nuechterlein) are encouraged to pursue translational behavioral research through affiliation with this Center.

Instructor(s): 
Keith Nuechterlein