Stars of Stony Brook Shine at Annual Meeting of the American Psychopathological Association

Members of the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science played a prominent role in 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Psychopathological Association, which took as its theme “Long-term Outcomes in Psychopathology Research: Rethinking the Scientific Agenda.”

Distinguished Professor Evelyn Bromet, PhD opened the proceedings in her role as President. She was presented with the Hamilton Award, given annually to the association’s President, in recognition of her advocacy for improvements in the care of the mentally ill and her leadership in the field of psychopathology. Dr. Bromet gave a paper on past and future directions in psychosis research in which she reviewed the findings on long-term outcomes and the prognostic factors investigated over the past century.  Her talk emphasized the importance of developing alliances with participants and their advocates and of improving the communication of research findings beyond the walls of academia.  The address ended with a tribute to Davis and Helen Pollack for their leadership in promoting the interests and talents of individuals cared for in mental health programs throughout Suffolk County. Dr. Bromet is internationally recognized for her pioneering work in mental health epidemiology. She is a leading expert on the mental health consequences of nuclear disasters and on the long-term course of psychotic disorders.

Professor Gabrielle Carlson, MD, Head of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, received the Association’s Zubin Award, which is given each year to a person who has played a fundamental role in psychopathology research, contributed to the field’s knowledge base and stimulated others to excel in the field. Dr. Carlson is a leading expert in diagnosis of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. She has served as president of the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology and chair of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's (AACAP) Program Committee. For the past 5 years she has topped the AACAP’s list of most requested speakers. Dr. Carlson presented a paper on “Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder - the result of a problem looking for a diagnosis.”

Assistant Professor Roman Kotov, PhD chaired a session on boundary problems in case definitions in which he commented on presentations by prominent experts on topics related to classification and diagnosis of mental health disorders.

Professor Daniel Klein, PhD, Chair of the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook, presented a paper titled “Can course help us understand the heterogeneity of depressive disorders?” as part of a session on long-term outcomes of adult clinical disorders.

The American Psychopathological Association, which was founded in 1910, is one of the oldest research organizations in North America. It is devoted to the scientific investigation of disordered human behavior, and its biological and psychosocial substrates. It sponsors an annual conference on topics relevant to research in psychopathology. The 103rd annual meeting was held in New York March 6 – 9, 2013.