Against the current: Embracing discomfort in psychiatric research
On November 13, 2023, in collaboration with the Journal of Trial and Error, we organized a lunch lecture on embracing discomfort in psychiatric research. This was the second lunch lecture in the series Scientific Failure and Uncertainty in the Health Domain.
Uncertainty and discomfort in psychiatry
The speakers of the lunch lecture reflected on the importance of recognizing and valuing uncertainty and discomfort in the field, and how these feelings can lead to deeper understanding and progress in psychiatric research. The lecture invited participants to reconsider the value of integrity and divergent perspectives as crucial elements for innovation and growth in mental health care. The first speaker, Floortje Scheepers, a leading expert in healthcare innovation, shared her experiences with a shifting perspective on mental dysregulation and emphasized the need for new research methods that align better with these insights. The second speaker, Jim van Os, a prominent researcher in schizophrenia, focused his lecture on the phenomenon of psychological suffering, moving beyond the established DSM criteria. This session aimed to facilitate a constructive dialogue to explore a more nuanced, albeit less certain, understanding of psychological suffering and well-being.
Speakers
- Prof. dr. Floortje Scheepers is Professor of Innovation in Mental Health at UMC Utrecht.
- Prof. dr. Jim van Os is Professor of Psychiatry at UMC Utrecht.