by michaelhalassa | Sep 14, 2025 | ADHD medication and psychosis, Algorithmic psychiatry, Chronic stimulant use, Computational psychiatry, Distributed neural systems, Dopamine and psychosis, Healthcare, Mental health treatment, Michael Halassa, Predictive systems, Psychiatry, Reward-seeking systems, Stimulant side effects, Stimulant-induced psychosis
The Portal in the Basement The EMTs who brought Stephanie to the inpatient unit looked genuinely unsettled. She’d been found at 3 AM, methodically photographing her neighbors’ houses with her phone, documenting what she described as “dimensional...
by michaelhalassa | Aug 18, 2025 | Algorithmic psychiatry, Computational psychiatry, Dopamine and psychosis
There’s a paradox at the heart of modern psychiatry that keeps me up at night. We have two ways of understanding mental illness that seem fundamentally at odds, yet both appear indispensable. On one side, we have the molecular story: dopamine receptors,...
by michaelhalassa | Jul 16, 2025 | Cobenfy, Algorithmic psychiatry, Computational psychiatry, Distributed neural systems, Dopamine and psychosis, KarXT, Mental health treatment, Michael Halassa, muscarinic antipsychotic, Schizophrenia treatment, Xanomeline
I had the privilege of attending and in part organizing the inaugural Innovation in Psychosis Therapeutics Summit in Boston (June 9-11, 2025). This intimate gathering brought together scientists, clinicians and biotech leaders who share a common goal: to finally push...
by michaelhalassa | Jul 11, 2025 | Algorithmic psychiatry, Healthcare, Mental health treatment, muscarinic antipsychotic, Schizophrenia treatment
The recent Innovation in Psychosis Therapeutics Summit in Boston revealed a clear truth: while the field celebrates breakthroughs like muscarinic agents, it’s equally clear that psychiatric drug development needs a neuroscience reboot. We’ve mastered...
by michaelhalassa | Jul 10, 2025 | Computational psychiatry, Executive Control, Michael Halassa, Reinforcement learning, Schizophrenia
As a psychiatrist who treats patients with schizophrenia, I’ve long been struck by a fundamental puzzle: why do individuals with psychosis hold onto beliefs with such unwavering certainty, even when presented with compelling contradictory evidence? The answer,...
