Conceptual Psychopathology Lab
In the Conceptual Psychopathology Lab we are interested in how everyday people, clinicians, and scientists, think about mental difficulties and disorders.
In the Conceptual Psychopathology Lab we are interested in how people think about mental health difficulties and disorders. We do both theoretical and empirical research related to this broad topic. We aim to:
- Develop new ideas and ways of thinking about mental health and disorder
- Critique and improve frameworks and theories
- Explore how the public conceptualise mental health challenges
- Test out if some ways of thinking about mental disorder are more helpful than others for supporting mental health
Issues of mental health and mental disorder are clearly very important, but what do we mean by these concepts? Are we all thinking in the same ways about them, or do we vary? Might some ways of thinking about mental disorder be more helpful than other’s in supporting positive outcomes? Might some ways be unhelpful? Can we develop more helpful ways for clinicians, researchers, and the public, to think about mental disorders?
These are just some of the broader questions that interest us here in the Conceptual Psychopathology Lab; a new research group in the School of Psychological Sciences.
If you would like to know more, collaborate on projects, or are interested in post-graduate research, please contact Dr Kristopher Nielsen. Some of the kinds of projects we are interested include:
- Empirical studies of how people, or a particular population, conceptualise mental disorders
- Empirical studies exploring how one’s conceptualisation of mental disorder might affect behaviour and health outcomes
- Theoretical projects seeking to critique existing explanations of mental disorders or related phenomena, and/or develop new ones
- Developing new conceptual frameworks and/or assessment tools
- Applying ideas from enactivism to improve our thinking in psychopathology
Student Members:
Maddie Barrett
Maddie’s master’s project involves a qualitative study of how both students (not in psychology) and clinical psychology students conceptualise mental disorders. In particular she is looking at ADHD, Depression, Schizophrenia, and OCD.
Penelope Scarborough
Penelope’s honours project is focused on Bodily-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRB’s) and in particular Trichotillomania. She is applying a theoretical methodology, attempting to improve conceptualisation and theory in this area.
Holly Beckett
Holly’s honours project is focused on persisting post-concussion symptoms (pPCS), with a focus on sleep disruption and irritability. She is applying a theoretical methodology, attempting to improve conceptualisation and theory in this area.
Honorary Members:
Veronica Ellis
Elise Callagher
Principal Investigator:
Lecturer in Clinical Psychology
School of Psychological Sciences
Examples of our Published Research:
Nielsen, K. (2023). Embodied, embedded, and enactive psychopathology: Reimagining mental disorder. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
Stein, D. J., Nielsen, K., Hartford, A., Gagné‐Julien, A. M., Glackin, S., Friston, K., ... & Aftab, A. (2024). Philosophy of psychiatry: theoretical advances and clinical implications. World Psychiatry, 23(2), 215-232.