Advances in brain sciences
Neuroscientific advances drive insight into individual brain functioning and lead to better understanding of the biological aetiology of mental illness and its idiosyncratic interaction with the environment. This has implications for new treatments which are less reliant on ‘textbook approaches’ and more stratified according to the individual’s needs. This impacts on which professionals are involved with patient care.
Proposed workforce impact
- Upskilling of the medical workforce so that practice is aligned with advancements in neuroscientific research.
- A different approach to diagnoses is based on underlying physical states, rather than diagnoses based solely on behavioural symptoms. The impact of this on psychiatry is likely to be profound because it will make it more like other forms of medicine. There are better treatment options.
- Less stigma surrounding psychiatry.
Sources or references
- Freeman, (2003), Neurodynamic Models of Brain in Psychiatry, Neuropsychopharmacology 28, S54-S63
- Ernst and Rumsey, (2000), Functional neuroimaging in child psychiatry. Curr Psychiatry Rep, 2, 2, 124-30
- Zorumski and Rubin, (2011), What Has Neuroscience Done for Psychiatry Lately? Psychology Today, Demystifying Psychiatry
Additional research questions
- When are advances in neuroscience likely to impact patient treatment in mental health services?
Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.
