A NEW ERA FOR MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSES: THE ROLE OF QEEG-NEUROMARKERS WEBINAR RECORDING

Presenter: Antonio Martins-Mourao, PhD

Mental health care is undergoing one of its most important paradigmatic shifts since Emil Kraepelin’s pioneering work on diagnostic categories as far back as the late XIX century. Alternatively to the traditional and subjective classification of symptoms, an emerging group of clinicians may now investigate and identify objective brain biomarkers to explain the root causes of their patients’ mental health issues, with significant impact on patient engagement. Secondly, many clinicians are now more interested on the role of developmental factors in the emergence of mental health conditions. This is based on robust evidence suggesting the impact of early adverse (stressful) life events, as risk factors for mental health issues later in life. In this presentation, I will discuss the main conceptual, methodological and technological factors driving this exciting paradigmatic shift in mental health, and its impact on patients’ ability to make informed decisions and take responsibility (agency) over the relevant treatment interventions.

All views expressed in the recording are solely those of the presenters and participants.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the limitations of DSM-based diagnoses for mental illness
• Understand the advantages of neuromarkers for mental illness diagnosing
• Understand the impact of early adverse situation as a risk factor for mental illness

About Antonio Martins-Mourao, PhD

Dr Martins-Mourao is a clinical neuro-psychophysiologist with a doctorate in developmental psychology from University College London. He is a Chartered Member of the clinical division of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and an academic researcher who has lectured in psychophysiology and mental health at the Open University, where he also founded the QEEG & Brain Research Lab, dedicated to research into anxiety disorders and the identification of neuromarkers for OCD and PTSD. He is currently collaborating with Professor Juri Kropotov in neuromarker research projects at the Laboratory for Neurobiology of Action programming at the Institute of the Human Brain (Russian Academy of Sciences). Dr Martins-Mourao uses an innovative pedagogical design to deliver training workshops https://www.londonscientificneurotherapy.com/training-workshops> in QEEG brain mapping to psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, and other mental health specialists in the UK, Europe, and beyond. He is an Associate Fellow of the BPS, a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy, and a member of the British Neuroscience Association and the Society for Applied Neuroscience. He also sits on the board of directors of the Foundation for Neuromodulation and Neurofeedback Research [FNNR] in the USA, has presents workshops at the Biofeedback Foundation of Europe [BFE], and is co-author of the book Alpha-Theta Neurofeedback in the 21st Century: A Handbook for Clinicians and Researchers . His other interests include theology, comparative religion, screenwriting and sailing.