Philip Spinhoven

Biography

Professor of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University (from 1998 onwards) Dean Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (2008-2012) Scientific director Institute of Psychology (2007) Associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (1991-1998) Assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (1981-1991) PhD at Leiden University (1989) Master degree Clinical Psychology, Leiden University (1981)

Research Interest

My research focuses on how distant, recent and current stressors interact with cognitive processes (e.g., attention, memory, thought, reasoning), behavioural processes (e.g., approach and avoidance), and biological processes (e.g., HPA-axis). My focus is on anxiety disorders, mood disorders, somatoform disorders and personality disorders. My aim is to understand the complex interplay among cognitive, behavioural and biological processes across these four stress-related disorders. These disorders show a high co-morbidity, similarities in known causative and maintaining factors and in preferred psychological and pharmacological treatments. My research draws on multiple methodologies (e.g., laboratory cognitive tasks, clinical trials, survey methodology), as well as cognitive and information processing theories. My overarching aim is to conduct translational research in which basis knowledge about determinants of psychopathology is translated into evidence-based transdiagnostic preventive and curative interventions.