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Larry Davidson, PhD

Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry
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Additional Titles

Senior Policy Advisor, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, State of Connecticut

About

Titles

Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry

Positions outside Yale

Senior Policy Advisor, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, State of Connecticut

Biography

My research and consultation/training work focuses on processes of recovery from and in serious mental illnesses and addictions and the development and evaluation of innovative policies and programs to promote the recovery and community inclusion of individuals with these conditions. We utilize mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, and typically conduct our research in a participatory and inclusive fashion that involves people in recovery and other stakeholders in all aspects and phases of the research process.

Appointments

Education & Training

PhD
Duquesne University (1989)

Research

Overview

There have been three major foci to my developing program of research: understanding processes of recovery in psychosis; developing and evaluating community-based and psychosocial interventions to promote recovery, and; designing and analyzing policies to foster community integration among people with psychosis. First, in collaboration with John Strauss I was able to articulate, develop, and apply empirical-qualitative methods to the study of psychosis and processes of recovery. Initially through a series of longitudinal interviews with people living with, and at times recovering from, psychosis I identified a number of common elements in the processes involved in improvement. These findings led to a series of papers beginning in 1992 in which my colleagues and I described the various roles the person with the disorder can play in his or her own recovery as well as in the recovery of his or her peers. Primary among the elements involved in these processes were (re-) establishing a sense of efficacy as a social agent and a sense of belonging among one's non-disabled peers.

These appeared to provide cornerstones of recovery, especially for a population that had developed a secondary disability due to prolonged symptoms, impairment, demoralization, and social isolation. Beginning in 1995, we then began to apply these insights, through a participatory research approach, in the development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions designed collaboratively with people with prolonged psychosis. Through studies of individual and groups forms of peer support, we identified a number of potential avenues of access for people with disabilities to exit the psychiatric ghettos of community-based systems of care and return to the broader community. This research initially was taken up by the Mental Health Consumer Movement both in the U.S. and elsewhere, and then began to impact clinical psychiatry when we were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in enhancing participants' social functioning and decreasing their use of intensive and costly services. These studies also have since served as the impetus for large-scale, controlled studies funded by the National Institutes of Health and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration assessing the effectiveness of peer-based and culturally-responsive interventions in increasing access to care and improving functional outcomes among people with psychosis.

On somewhat of a parallel track, my work in public policy has been devoted to developing systems of care that promote the recovery and community integration of people with psychiatric disabilities. These efforts at the local, state, and federal level have involved introducing evidence-based, recovery-oriented, and culturally responsive services and structures across systems of care, and evaluating their effectiveness in improving patient and service system outcomes. Examples of our contributions include peer engagement as an alternative to mandated outpatient treatment and the use of psychiatric advance directives to extend a person's capacity to make his or her own healthcare-related decisions during times of distress or disorganization.

NIMH #MH099012, “Person Centered Care Planning and Service Engagement,” M. Desai, Principal Investigator, L. Davidson, Primary Mentor, 5% effort, $371,022 total, $125,000 direct costs per year, 3/1/2015-2/28/2017.

PCORI #IH-0043, “Broadening Stakeholder Involvement in Behavioral Health Research,” L. Davidson, Principal Investigator, 5% effort, $250,000 total, $125,000 per year, 2/1/15-1/31/17.

SAMHSA #H79SM061708, “Transforming Lives through Supported Employment,” J. Girard, Principal Investigator, L. Davidson, Co-Investigator, 2%, $4,000,000 total, $800,000 per year, $480,000 direct costs per year, 10/14-9/19.

NIMH R01 #MH097796, “Recovery-oriented Structures, Practices, and Outcomes in CMHCs: A National Study,” M. O’Connell, Principal Investigator, L. Davidson, Co-Investigator, 10%, $2,827,065 total costs, $1,822,000, 9/14-8/18.

PCORI #IH-1304-7294, “Increasing Health Care Choices and Improving Health Outcomes Among Persons with Serious Mental Illness,” C. Bellamy, Principal Investigator, L. Davidson, Co-Investigator, 5% effort, $2,080,935 total costs, $1,485,000 direct costs, 10/13-9/16.

NIMH R01 #MH099012, “Implementing Person-Centered Care Planning in Clinical Practice,” V. Stanhope, Principal Investigator, L. Davidson, Co-Investigator, 10% effort, $2,821,216 total costs, $1,733,563 direct costs, 11/13-10/17.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Mental Disorders; Mental Processes; Psychiatry and Psychology; Psychological Phenomena; Psychological Theory; Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Larry Davidson's published research.

Publications

2023

2022

Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • honor

    Armin Loeb Award

  • honor

    Teaching and Mentoring in Qualitative Inquiry Award

  • activity

    Latino Collective

  • honor

    Alexander Gralnick Research Investigator Prize

  • honor

    Carl Rogers Heritage Award

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number
Office Fax Number
Mailing Address

Psychiatry

319 Peck Street, Building 1

New Haven, CT 06513

United States