Professor of Clinical Psychology Kirsti Akkermann’s inaugural lecture focuses on the nature of mental disorders

On Thursday, 10 October, at 16:15, Kirsti Akkermann, the Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Tartu, will deliver the inaugural lecture “Understanding and conceptualising of the nature of mental disorders” in the university assembly hall.

To treat mental health disorders, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms that shape them and the reasons why they persist. It has become clear now that quite a few mechanisms may overlap in different disorders. Akkermann argues that, given the complex nature of mental disorders, we need to move away from the diagnosis-centred to a person-centred approach in their treatment.

“The symptoms and severity of mental disorders vary considerably from individual to individual. For example, depression can have around 900 symptom combinations, and two people diagnosed with depression may have only one overlapping symptom,” the professor explained. She says that clearly, their treatment must be different and that treatment tailored to the patient’s needs is more effective.

In the lecture, Kirsti Akkermann will discuss the alternative approaches to understanding mental disorders besides the traditional disorder-based classification. These alternative approaches help explain the heterogeneity of symptoms and the frequent co-occurrence of mental disorders. Among other things, she will talk about using personality profiling to understand the interaction between the symptoms of mental disorders and the mechanisms that maintain these disorders, thereby improving the treatment. “Using the eating and affective disorders as an example, I will talk about how considering personality traits such as perfectionism and impulsivity can help us understand the diversity of symptoms and bring us closer to personalised treatment,” said the professor.

Kirsti Akkermann defended her doctoral thesis in psychology at the University of Tartu in 2010. In her earlier research, she explored the joint effect of genes, personality traits and environment on the development of symptoms of the eating disorder. At the University of Tartu, she leads the psychopathology research group, which aims to develop more precise assessment methods and treatment interventions for mental disorders based on overlapping mechanisms. In her daily work, Akkermann investigates the interaction of biological, psychological and environmental factors on the development and persistence of psychopathology. She focuses on the role of personality traits and difficulties in emotion regulation in the development of eating and affective disorder symptoms and their developmental trajectories, combining both experimental and longitudinal methods.

Kirsti Akkermann is a certified clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and supervisor and one of the leading educators of clinical psychologists. She is a member of several professional organisations and participates as an expert in national working groups to improve access to mental health care. Since 2024, she has been the Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Tartu.

An inaugural lecture aims to give new professors the opportunity to introduce themselves and their field of research and topic. At the end of the public lecture, the audience is welcome to ask questions. Everyone interested is welcome. The inaugural lecture can be watched live on UTTV.