Neuropsychiatry

The Neuropsychiatry Group is a collaborative group composed of staff from CHeBA and the Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI) at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney.

The NPI is a tertiary referral unit that specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of cognitive and psychiatric disorders associated with medical and neurological illnesses. It is unique in Australia in bringing together expertise within Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuropsychology, Neurophysiology and Neurosurgery to bear upon complex diagnostic issues. The Neuropsychiatry Group is at the forefront of diagnostic research into neuropsychiatric disorders, in particular dementia, drug-induced movement disorders, Tourette syndrome and mental illness associated with epilepsy, and the use of brain stimulation (DBS, TMS, tDCS) for treatment. The group also provides important education services for clinicians and trainees.

Staff

Dr Adith Mohan
Dr Rebecca Koncz
Dr Matt Paradise

Professor Perminder Sachdev

Group Leader

Funding Success for Functional Neurological Symptom Disorders Clinic

Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer Dr Adith Mohan was awarded a Mindgardens Neuroscience Network Translational Research Grant to establish an intervention clinic for patients with Functional Neurological Symptom Disorders.

The Australian-first clinic will provide multi-disciplinary assessment together with an intervention program for suitable patients.

Dr Mohan, a Consultant Neuropsychiatrist at the Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, said that the research-ready clinic will see participants referred from their GP or specialist.

“Such a clinic is not currently available in Australia in the public sector and bridges a significant gap in careprovision for a vulnerable group with high rates of physical and mental health morbidity, disability and healthcare needs.”

Both Dr Mohan and Professor Perminder Sachdev, fellow research investigator and neuropsychiatrist, have been at the forefront of tertiary care and clinical research in neuropsychiatry for three decades. Having fostered significant collaborative care partnerships across the disciplines of neurology, clinical neuroscience, rehabilitation medicine and neuropsychology, the Neuropsychiatric Institute is an ideal home for a tertiary clinic to operate. Professor Sachdev, who is Co-Director of CHeBA and Director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute, says the goal is to create and evaluate a model for gold-standard, evidence-based care provision for FND in Australia.

“It will bring together clinical experts from neuropsychiatry, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychology for the first time.” Dr Adith Mohan