About the group
Suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm are major health problems in Norway and in many other countries.
Our aim is to study associations between psychological, social and neurobiological factors and suicidal and self-harming behaviour by collecting and analyzing data mainly from clinical samples.
We study risk factors and causal mechanisms, as well as the longitudinal course and outcome in patients with suicidal or self-harming behaviour and we develop and assess the effects of interventions and treatment methods.
We collect data in close collaboration with patients, clinical units and with other research groups in Norway and abroad.
Projects
Our group conducts a range of studies. Among them are several studies related to Dialectical behaviour therapy for adolescents with repeated self-harm.
These studies have provided comprehensive knowledge about problems related to self-harm in adolescents and about effective treatment programs. This knowledge is now being actively used in training of therapists and in implementation of treatment programmes all over Norway.
The group also performs studies of risk factors for suicidality and self-harm behaviour among patients with severe psychiatric disorders such as psychotic disorders, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as studies of the clinical course after treatment in order to assess the long term prospects for people with disorders such as these regarding health, level of functioning and risk of future suicidal behaviour.
Of particular interest are studies of the continuity of care for patients who would otherwise have a strong tendency of repeating suicidal or self-harming behaviour.