Interventions Committee for Disorders Related to Schizophrenia, Late Life, or Personality (ITSP)
Reviews applications concerned with clinical trials of pharmacotherapeutic, psychotherapeutic and combination treatments as applied to schizophrenia spectrum disorders, personality disorders, and disorders of late life. Trials will be conducted across a spectrum of settings from laboratories to community-based clinics. Study populations will include adults (18 years and older unless within the purview of the Child and Family committee [ITVC]). New treatments and existing treatments to be applied in new combinations and existing treatments to be applied to new populations are typical. Studies will cover the evaluation of efficacy and/or effectiveness.
Specific Areas Covered by ITSP:
- Establishment of the short- and long-term efficacy of interventions (including relapse prevention and rehabilitation) of single or combined treatments (somatic, psychosocial, pharmacologic)
- Studies that assess the effectiveness/cost effectiveness of interventions in mental health or other practice settings
- Off-label or innovative applications of established treatments
- Comparative studies of alternative treatments
- Clinical pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies when coupled to an intervention
- Strategies for augmentation/combination and for reduction/taper of an intervention
- Correlates of treatment response, and the basis for treatment failure with established agents
- Studies that examine differences in treatment response (e.g., speed, degree, durability, and functional status)
- Studies designed to develop and refine methodologies and strategies for use in intervention research
- Treatment algorithms/strategies for improvement of clinical and rehabilitative care, including studies which examine combinations and different sequences of interventions
ITSP has the following shared interests within the NIMH IRG:
With Interventions Committee for Adult Mood and Anxiety Disorders (ITMA): ITMA reviews applications concerned with clinical trials and treatments as applied to mood and anxiety disorders and related mental health problems, while ITSP reviews applications concerned with clinical trials of pharmacotherapeutic, psychotherapeutic and combination treatments as applied to schizophrenia spectrum disorders, personality disorders, and disorders of late life. Although ITMA and ITSP review applications that focus on adult populations ITSP may be more appropriate for the review of applications where the study population is older adults.
With Interventions Committee for Disorders Involving Children and Their Families (ITVC): ITVC reviews applications concerned with clinical trials and treatments as applied to mood and anxiety disorders and related mental health problems in children, while ITSP reviews applications concerned with clinical trials of pharmacotherapeutic, psychotherapeutic and combination treatments as applied to schizophrenia spectrum disorders, personality disorders, and dementia in adult.
With Mental Health Services in MH Specialty Settings (SRSP): While ITSP reviews applications concerned with the development and evaluation of interventions designed to treat schizophrenia spectrum disorders, personality disorders and dementia, SRSP reviews applications of clinical services and service systems with a focus on service sites considered specialty mental health setting (i.e., mental health clinics, psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation/reintegration, and mental health-related departments in institutions).
With Mental Health Services in Non-Specialty Settings (SRNS): While ITSP reviews applications concerned with the development and evaluation of interventions designed to treat schizophrenia spectrum disorders, personality disorders and dementia, SRNS reviews applications of clinical services and service systems with a focus on service sites considered non-specialty mental health settings, such as primary or specialist medical care, schools, child welfare agencies, criminal justice settings, shelters, and other social service agencies where the primary focus of care is not mental health.
(* These descriptions should to be used as guidelines when determining the appropriate review locus for your application. In many instances, applications involve areas of science and/or methodologies that cross between study sections. In those instances, it is the staff within the NIMH Scientific Review Branch who, in consultation with the applicant if he/she requested a specific section, ultimately determines where an application will be reviewed.)