Tell us a bit about your background, Sanja?

I’m a psychiatrist working at the department for psychotic disorders at the Institute of Mental Health, Belgrade, Serbia, and have a Ph.D. degree in neuroscience. My scientific interest has been primarily focused on the field of psychosis spectrum disorders research – particularly on the search for illness-related cognitive disturbances and intermediary phenotypes. In the past ten years I have been enrolled in several national and international projects (funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia, EU FP7, Fogarty International Center – NIH, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme) which has been recognized through 27 publications (as the author or co-author) in peer-reviewed journals.

What about your involvement with the study, which aspects have you been working on?

As a member of the Serbian research team (Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade), I have been enrolled in the IMPULSE study since its’ beginning in 2018. I was engaged in data collection and analysis, as well as dissemination activities, but the main focus of my work, along with other team members, was to develop comprehensive guidance for the implementation and sustainability of DIALOG+ psychosocial intervention within health care systems in Southeastern Europe. 

Why did you become a researcher?

The human brain is the most complex structure in the universe – shrouded in mystery and containing many unknowns. Thus, the scientific curiosity and challenge-seeking brought me to the field of neurosciences and particularly to the psychotic spectrum disorders research.

Why is your research important and what are the real-world applications?   

The main purpose and ultimate goal of my research is to help people with psychotic disorders to live more meaningful and productive lives. The promotion and implementation of proven effective psychosocial interventions, such as DIALOG+, might contribute to achieving that goal – particularly in the Western Balkans region where lack of human and financial resources invested in mental health limit the access to care for this vulnerable patient group.

What is your favorite aspect of the study?  

Definitely, the best thing of the IMPULSE study are the people involved in this project! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet so many great people dedicated to the idea of improving the quality of life and wellbeing of people living with psychotic disorders.

One key message about mental health that you would like to communicate and you wish everybody knew and understood?

 Since the development of Kraepelin’s concept of dementia praecox, the traditional and unfortunately, still common understanding of psychoses is that these are intractable disorders with an inevitably unfavorable prognosis. However, there is growing evidence that these heterogeneous disorders have a good outcome in many affected individuals and it has become more and more obvious in recent years that one can live a happy and fulfilled life even in the context of a life challenged by psychosis. What we need is a paradigm shift and optimistic perspective and approach focusing on the promotion of mental health and well-being through the enhancement of positive psychosocial factors such as resilience, optimism, hope, and post-traumatic growth. Having in mind that the key principles of DIALOG+ are consistent with the basic postulates of the recently proposed concept of positive psychiatry for psychoses, that psychosocial intervention has the potential to help those individuals live more productive lives.

Share a bit about your life outside of work?

During the IMPULSE project, like many other researchers enrolled in this study - I became a mother of a boy. He is now two and a half years old, and I enjoy spending time with my family - especially traveling and exploring different places.

What personal changes has this study brought for you – to your social circle, views, working patterns? 

The opportunity to collaborate, learn from them, and make friends with the top researchers in the field from the UK and Southeastern Europe is definitely the most important thing the IMPULSE study brought into my life and my social circle. The participation in this project provided me with the opportunity to gain a lot of knowledge and significantly improve my clinical and research skills.