Future Meetings
2028 Annual Meeting
Causal Methods and Inference in Psychopathology Research. Making Etiological Research Relevant for Clinical Applications
Etiological research of psychopathology is challenging given the breadth and complexity of risk
factors and outcomes. For a long time, research on the causes of psychopathology was largely
limited to randomized trials and association studies, but this has changed. Researcher now
utilizes many novel or adapted approaches developed by different disciplines: causal inference
methods (g-family) and target trial emulation, Mendelian Randomization and methods to
control for genetic confounding, discordant twin and sibling studies, instrumental variable and
fixed effects regression analyses, advanced structural equation modelling and alternative cross-
lagged panel models. However, the application of these methods in psychopathology research
remains challenging and is hampered by the lack of appropriate data and knowledge of
methods including their assumptions. I propose to organize an APPA conference that would
bring together leading scholars on a diverse set of methodological advances in causal methods
applied in psychopathology research from different backgrounds such as genetic epidemiology,
econometrics, family studies, and psychology. Importantly, this would be a conference that
bridges different disciplines, not only as speakers but as attendees. Such a conference can help
APPA branch out to adjacent disciplines typically not included such as genetic epidemiologists
or neuroscientists studying psychopathology and engage them in the discussion of different
approaches to causal inference. The goal is not only to present state of the art causal methods
and discuss their applications for psychopathology research, but the focus will also be on the
limitations of these methods, assumptions, caveats, and the consequences for future data
collections. To make etiological research more relevant for public health and clinical
applications, time is devoted to discuss the questions to be addressed to make etiological
research most relevant.
Henning Tiemeier
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
2029 Annual Meeting
Suicide Prevention
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States in those under age 35. In 2023 alone, almost 50,000 lives were lost to suicide in the US. Suicide is a preventable problem, yet a public health approach has not been universally applied. Most people at risk for suicide are unrecognized or recognized too late, years or decades after mental health problems and addiction have already greatly disrupted their lives. Most suicidal individuals receive no treatment or inadequate treatment. Although we know what the best practices are, they are often not implemented and there is discontinuity between levels of care. A large proportion of suicide attempters die on their first attempt. Suicide is a complex, multi-determined problem that needs multifaceted solutions and interventions. The 2029 APPA meeting would focus on the state of the science in the suicide prevention domain involving policy and population-level solutions, AI and technology, improving access to affordable and effective mental health care, strengthening the chain of care for suicidal individuals, reducing access to lethal means, and expediting access to data to be used for action to prevent suicide.
Holly Wilcox
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
