Mohn Research Centre for Psychotic Disorders

People with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorders die on average 15-20 years earlier than the rest of the population. The Mohn Research Centre for Psychotic Disorders will reduce this excess mortality through the improvement of drug treatment methods and the reduction of risk factors for both physical disorders and suicide.

Psychotic disorders, which include schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, affect between 1-2 percent of the population, and at least 30,000 people live with such disorders at any given time in Norway today. The disorders lead to a significantly reduced quality of life and 15-20 years shortened average lifespan due to both natural and unnatural causes of death. Today’s treatment methods have proven to be insufficient for a large subgroup of patients, which requires new thinking and research in the field.

The new Mohn research centre will do something about this. With the aim of better treatment, the Trond Mohn Research Foundation and Haukeland University Hospital contribute resources equivalent to NOK 58 million for the research, of which the foundation contributes NOK 25 million over five years.

-Everyone talks about the dramatic excess mortality in psychotic disorders, but few actually do anything about it. This is what we want to change, says Erik Johnsen, clinical supervisor at the division of psychiatry, HUS, and professor at department of clinical medicine, UiB. He leads the center together with professors Vidar M. Steen (department of clinical science, UiB) and Ingrid Melle (Oslo University Hospital (OUS)).

– We are grateful for the generous contribution from the foundation and are sure that this will benefit the patient group, says Johnsen.

The new centre’s aim is to reduce excess mortality and improve treatment outcomes for psychotic disorders by increasing the use of the best knowledge-based treatment as well as interventions that reduce the risk of early death. The research goals include improving drug treatment methods and reducing risk factors for both physical disorders and suicide.

– This initiative is an important milestone in the fight for better treatment of mental disorders and can potentially prolong many lives through a better understanding and treatment of mental disorders, says Anne Alnes Blindheim, head of the patient organisation Psychiatric Research with Experience Skills (PEK).

With an already established expertise based on a successful ten-year research collaboration from the NORMENT Center of excellence, the new center has a solid platform to achieve its goals. Good collaboration with the Mohn Research Centre for Regenerative Medicine, UiB, OUS and the host institution Haukeland University Hospital will also be decisive for the centre’s success.

The center will take advantage of the co-located infrastructure at Sandiviken hospital which belongs to Haukeland University Hospital, to promote the integration of clinical practice and research. The involvement of patient organisations will make sure that the user perspectives are considered.