Richard Bränström, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Richard Bränström, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet where he studies the mental health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. His research interests are the study of social determinants of health and health-related behaviors, as well as, the effects of internet-based psychological treatments. In this research he draws upon his training both as a clinical psychologist and as an epidemiologist in order to increase our understanding of how psychological and social factors influence health, and how these influences can be modified. He is currently involved in several studies testing the efficacy of internet-based psychosocial interventions to increase resilience and decrease psychological distress in different patient groups and among LGBT young adults.

Using Psychological Science and Psychiatric Epidemiology to Improve our Understanding of Mental Health among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People 

Today a large number of studies from different parts of the world clearly show that compared with heterosexuals, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals have an increased risk of mental health problems, especially depression, anxiety and suicidal behavior. To meet this increased risk of mental health problems, many governmental public health agencies call for policy and intervention programs addressing specific needs of LGBT individuals. Despite the clear need for evidence-based care, prevention, and treatment specifically tailored to LGBT people, there are currently few such programs due to lack of sufficient research. During this talk, Dr. Bränström will present results from recent studies using population-based representative samples analyzed with a variety of psychiatric epidemiological methods to improve our knowledge about LGBT mental health disparities and its predictors with implication for clinical practice.