As opioid use has risen nationwide during the last 15 years, a concurrent epidemic of increased youth suicide has also occurred during this period. Researchers have explored the potential of several cultural factors to explain the increase in the suicide rate of children and adolescents, including a warning from the Food and Drug Administration about the use of antidepressants and potential suicidal ideation, the...

The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce that Lauren Bylsma, PhD, has received a Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychophysiology from the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR). Dr. Bylsma received this prestigious award at the Society’s annual meeting in Washington, DC (September 25–29, 2019), where she also delivered the Early Career Award Address, “A...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling illness characterized by obsessions that result in compulsive behavior. Underscoring the need for more effective treatments, existing first-line therapies lead to remission in just 10–15% of patients. However, the development of new therapies requires a better understanding of the molecular abnormalities that are present in OCD. A recent study from Pitt Department...

Skilled and compassionate clinicians and researchers at the Pitt Department of Psychiatry have developed innovative models of care in geriatric psychiatry, as well as training programs that prepare behavioral health care providers to deliver treatment tailored to the specific needs of older adults. Two essential components of effective geriatric psychiatry treatment—access and trust—are key concepts that guide our...

The Department of Psychiatry and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) are pleased to welcome the newest members of the highly competitive Clinical Psychology Internship program, which consistently attracts gifted students. Tina Goldstein, PhD, and Michele Levine, PhD, co-direct the American Psychological Association-accredited program. The one-year internship adheres to a clinical science model of training and...

People with schizophrenia have deficits in some aspects of auditory short-term memory that impair their ability to discriminate between similar sounds. A new study from Pitt Department of Psychiatry researchers explored the short-term storage of auditory information in rhesus monkeys to learn more about how this process goes awry in schizophrenia; they found that monkeys and humans share a simple form of auditory...

There is a great need for better treatments for the forty million U.S. adults who experience anxiety disorders. People with anxiety disorders tend to direct their attention to threat-related, rather than neutral or positive, information in their environment. Because of this link between anxiety and attention, researchers are investigating whether attention retraining could be a viable treatment option. Indeed...

We are delighted to announce that Carmen Andreescu, MD, has been promoted to Tenured Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Andreescu is an international thought leader on the clinical treatment of late-life anxiety. Her research focuses on the affective and cognitive neuroscience of late-life anxiety and depression and she has pioneered a unique neurocognitive and...

We are delighted to announce that Brant Hasler, PhD, has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Hasler’s research focuses on the role of sleep and circadian rhythms in regulating affect and motivation, particularly as they pertain to affective disorders and substance abuse. He studies circadian misalignment, a condition in which the...

Congratulations to Dr. Sarah Lim, who was selected by The Pittsburgh Foundation to receive a Claire B. Morrison Fund scholarship award. Dr. Lim is in her second year of general psychiatry residency training at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. The Morrison Fund award recognizes residents who demonstrate compassion, altruism and high commitment to excellence in caring for patients. “Dr. Lim is an exemplary resident...