Network for personality disorders
The Network is a clinical research collaboration within Norwegian specialist mental health services founded in 1992. The Network aims to integrate clinical research with quality systems for systematic assessment and progress feedback during treatment. The collaboration includes treatment units (currently 20) across all health regions in Norway, contributing to a large research database on personality disorder.
Common clinical routines and data collection from members of the Network have over the past 30 years formed the basis for a large quality register. This anonymous register has formed the basis for a number of publications, as well as doctoral and master theses, with focus on the understanding and treatment of personality disorders, as well as on related measures and measurement methods.
The network continuously evaluates its joint questionnaires, tests and interviews, and minor changes may occur every 3-4 year. Major changes will occur if treatment offers or overall research projects change, such as the TREATPD. Such changes lead to the Network's quality register having different contents in different periods. There are now three such periods: The first from 1993-2008, the second from 2009-2016, and the current one from 2017. As of today, the register comprises data from over 14.000 patients.
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Reference
- Pedersen, G., Wilberg, T., Hummelen, B., & Kvarstein, E. H. (2022). The Norwegian Network for Personality Disorders – Development, contributions and challenges through 30 years. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 77, 512-520. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2022.2147995National Advisory Unit Personality Psychiatry (NAPP)
National Advisory Centre for Substance Use and Addictive Disorders, Severe Concurrent Mental Health Disorders and Personality Disorders (NRAPP)
The advisory centre in its present form (NRAPP, from 2025) and former form (NAPP 2012-2024) has been engaged in the research group and relevant projects, contributing with input from health services, current research questions, recruitment of user contribution and further implementation of research results. NRAPP has an associated supervisory/quality service; Psychotherapy Quality Laboratory, also contributing to treatment fidelity assessments in research.
Research Network for Avoidant Personality Disorder
Avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) is a common disorder but has been neglected in terms of empirical research, also internationally. For example, there is a lack of development and evaluation of treatment that focuses specifically on this type of personality problem.
The research network for AvPD was established in 2017 to contribute to more and better research on issues related to AvPD through contact and stimulation for research collaboration. Annual one-day seminars are organized to discuss projects and project plans. The network is national and consists of researchers and clinicians interested in research from many institutions and treatment units in Norway. It is headed by members of the research group; Ingeborg Eikenæs and Kjetil Bremer.
Those interested can contact Kjetil Bremer.