2. Psychological Intervention & Research Program on Mood Spectrum Disorders

Psychological Intervention & Research Program on Mood Spectrum Disorders

Psychological Intervention & Research Program on Mood Spectrum Disorders (PIRL-M)is associated with the UTHealth Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders andThomas D. Meyer, PhD, is the director. Through PIRL-M, Meyer implements a consumer-driven approach to clinical research in providing psychological treatments to individuals with mental health disorders, contributes to the training and teaching of pre-doctoral psychology interns and residents at McGovern Medical School, and arranges consultations with colleagues at UTHealth, including those at the Harris County Psychiatric Center.

PIRL-M hosts a research team that conducts studies dedicated to goals such as understanding vulnerabilities to mood disorders and assessing how screening measures and treatment programs offered to those struggling with mood disorders may further develop to improve the quality of life of both these individuals and their loved ones.

Meyer and team focuses on the following research topics:

  • 治疗师辅助使用迷幻药。Meyer目前是UTHEADY的主要心理治疗师，用于一项多站点的国际psilocybin单剂量，临床试验，用于治疗治疗耐药性抑郁症。PIRL-M团队目前正在评估医疗保健专业人员对治疗师使用迷幻药治疗精神健康障碍的看法，并正在研究双相情感障碍患者迷幻使用的经验和期望。
  • Exploring New Opportunities of Psychosocial Support for Individuals with Bipolar Disorders and their Loved Ones.Meyer, alongside colleague Rebecca L. Casarez, PhD, from the UTHealth Cizik School of Nursing, have provided focus groups to caregivers to identify beneficial resources for these individuals. In order to address the barriers identified in these studies, Meyer and Casarez are conducting focus groups for individuals with bipolar disorders and their loved ones regarding the use of virtual environments to administer interventions and supply helpful information.
  • Mental and Sexual Health Status in Individuals with Mood Disorders.Meyer and team have looked at the link between mood disorders and domains of sexual wellbeing by focusing on self-reported sexual well-being and satisfaction in individuals with either bipolar or depressive disorder and assessing how this may affect their mental health. PIRL-M intends to expand on this research in the near future. For more information on preliminary findings of this study, please readthis articlepublished by Meyer.
  • Novel Psychological Autopsy Assessment.As Co-Director of the UTHealth Brain Collection, Meyer has been testing the reliability and validity of a novel psychological autopsy interview by holding discussions with next of kin regarding the mental health, personality and general behaviors of the individual who passed away. Meyer and colleague Consuelo Walss-Bass, Ph.D., intend to use this information to study links between genetics and mental health/personality using brain cells.

If you are interested in participating in research, pleaseclick here to access our Recruitment Screeneror feel free to call our team at (713) 486-2515 to see if you would quality for any of our currently studies.

Thank you for your interest and support for PIRL-M!