Schizophrenia and self-consciousness - A novel approach to understanding psychosis
Guest Speaker: James Martin
James Martin is completing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in medicine at the University of Adelaide, discipline of psychiatry, focused on the assessment of early psychosis and the neurobiology of schizophrenia. He is also a legally qualified Psychologist, registered with General Registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). He obtained a first-class Bachelor of Science with Honors (Psychology) at the University of Derby, in the United Kingdom, where he was awarded the Undergraduate Research Scholarship Scheme. He then completed the two-year AHPRA internship and further training to obtain his registration as a psychologist in Australia. He currently maintains a private practice providing both therapeutic services and medico-legal reports. He has published on topics such as schizophrenia, early psychosis, and critical thinking.
He has worked primarily within non-profit agencies, developing extensive experience across learning difficulties, schizophrenia, autism, childhood trauma, and ADHD. His research aims to extend our understanding of the biology underlying schizophrenia, whilst contributing to novel early detection approaches in young people at risk of psychosis.
Project Summary
To most people, being self-conscious seems effortless and we rarely have need to explain our self-consciousness to others. However, a core feature of Schizophrenia is believed to be a disturbance is how people experience themselves. We call this ‘self-disorder’. It often emerges in childhood or early adolescence, long before people become unwell. Self-disorder is rarely detected when diagnosing and treating these conditions and little is known about the underlying biology. Treatment for people with schizophrenia is often ineffective and many struggle to regain their previous life trajectory. Our research indicates that a distinct pattern of brain connectivity may be present in those with Self-Disorder, consistent with a well-known theory of brain network dysfunction. My research aims to better understand the development of schizophrenia as well as improve the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia, towards preventing the onset of psychosis in young people.