Psychiatry
A/P Vladan Starcevic
MD, PhD, FRANZCP
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, SYDNEY MEDICAL SCHOOL
CONSULTANT PSYCHIATRIST
HEAD, ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY, NEPEAN HOSPITAL
Vladan Starcevic has had medical education, psychiatric training and clinical, teaching and research experience and career in the former Yugoslavia, United States and Australia. He is currently Associate Professor at Sydney Medical School, Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of the Academic Department of Psychiatry at Nepean Hospital. He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Belgrade and University of Novi Sad.
Dr Starcevic’s main professional and research interests include psychopathology, psychopharmacology and psychotherapy of anxiety, mood, somatoform, and personality disorders, combined pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, and psychiatric classifications. He has authored or co-authored more than 150 book chapters and articles in various international journals. He has co-edited a book Hypochondriasis: Modern Perspectives on an Ancient Malady, published in 2001, and is the author of three other books on various aspects of anxiety disorders. His last book, Anxiety Disorders in Adults: A Clinical Guide was published by Oxford University Press in 2005. He has lectured widely and organised symposia and workshops at psychiatric conferences around the world.
Dr Starcevic’s research activities occur mainly through the Nepean Anxiety Disorders Clinic. His current projects involve studies of the cognitive styles in various anxiety disorders, health anxiety in panic disorder, effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological approaches to panic disorder, validity of the symptom subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder, the novel concept of dysphoria, and psychopathology of excessive use of video games.
Dr Starcevic serves on the panel for the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry Task Force on Treatment Guidelines for Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive and Posttraumatic Stress Disorders. He has also been an adviser for Anxiety Disorders Measures in the Handbook of Psychiatric Measures, published by the American Psychiatric Association. He is a member of the editorial boards of several professional journals and has been a manuscript reviewer for 20 journals.
Contact:
Phone: +61 2 47342585
Fax: +61 2 47343343
Email:
Address: Department of Psychiatry
Nepean Hospital, Level 5 South Block
PO Box 63, Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
Dr.Vlasios (Bill) Brakoulias
MBBS (Hons), MPsychiatry, FRANZCP,Cert.Psychotherapies FRANZCP
Dr Brakoulias is a staff specialist and clinical lecturer in Psychiatry working with the Department of Psychiatry at the Nepean Clinical School. He has completed advanced training in Psychotherapy and his interests include belief formation and modification, obsessive-compulsive disorder, delusions, cognitive behavioural therapy, family therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. In 2006, Dr Brakoulias was awarded a prestigious twelve month fellowship by the NSW Institute of Psychiatry where he assessed psychotherapeutic approaches for patients suffering from delusions, and was a recent co-recipient of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Young Investigator Grant. In 2007 he received a grant of $16,925 from the Nepean Research Foundation. He has published in the areas of deliberate self-harm, and the epidemiology of delusions and their treatment with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Dr Brakoulias works as a consultant at the Pialla Unit and pursues his academic interests within the Department of Psychiatry under the supervision of Associate Professor Vladan Starcevic. Dr Brakoulias will continue to assess beliefs ranging from delusions, over-valued ideas and obsessions. He plans to complete a PhD looking at symptom based subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Contact:
Phone: +61 2 47342585
Fax: +61 2 47343343
Email:
Address: Department of Psychiatry
Nepean Hospital, Level 5 South Block
PO Box 63, Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
Research
Research activities in the Department revolve around the psychopathology, psychopharmacology and psychotherapy of anxiety disorders, mood disorders, somatoform disorders and personality disorders. Current and future projects involve studies of the following:
- Psychopathology, co-occurrence, cognitive styles and longitudinal course of various anxiety disorders
- Effectiveness of psychological strategies and combined pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behaviour therapy for treating anxiety disorders
- Relationships between health anxiety, somatization, anxiety disorders, personality disorders and other psychiatric disorders
- OCD Study: The Department of Psychiatry at Nepean Hospital has commenced a large and comprehensive study of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In this study participants are asked to attend a structured interview and complete several questionnaires that aim to assess their symptoms comprehensively and to obtain data that aims to answer several key research questions in the field of OCD. Some of the assessment is repeated at 6 months, 12 months and 2 years. The key question that the study wishes to answer is whether patients with different symptoms of OCD (eg. people that repetitively hand wash compared to people that repeatedly check) also have other factors that differentiate them from other patients with OCD. We will also be able to assess how these factors respond to treatment and how they change over time. If you are interested in taking part in this study please call Mrs Vicki Riley on the telephone number +61 2 47342585 .