Eric Noorthoorn van der Kruijff’s research aims to understand why the Seriously Mentally Ill do not recover. His research focusses on the early identification of factors that hinder the recovery of chronically psychiatric patients in mental health care, such as trauma, substance use, intellectual disabilities, somatic comorbidity and medication use. The research involves collecting, analysing and bundling detailed patient data from available mental health care sources. This includes patient characteristics, medication use and treatment results. The starting point is the analysis of anonymous data in large populations, in order to exclude selection bias. The findings are used to improve the quality of care, gain insight into the patient's recovery and develop national standards.
I introduce psychology students to a group that is often unknown to them: long-term care-dependent psychiatric patients. Why does this group exist and what can we do to improve their care?
About Eric Noorthoorn van der Kruijff
Prof. Dr. Eric Noorthoorn van der Kruijff (1958, Leiden) began his academic career at Maastricht University, where he obtained a Master's degree in Medicine in 1984. He stayed at Maastricht University to conduct his doctoral research. In 1994, he completed his PhD thesis Social roles and lifetime development in the chronically mentally ill.
After obtaining his PhD, Eric Noorthoorn van der Kruijff worked as a senior researcher at a mental health institution. In 2006, he moved to another mental health institution, where he set up the National Register for Coercive measures. He continues to work in this position to this day. He is also an expert for the National Working Group on Compulsory Care.
During his academic career, his work has been supported by various grants. For example, in collaboration with the Trimbos Institute, he has obtained two national grants for projects focused on medication rationalization and mild intellectual disabilities. Other notable grants include:
- Grant study aftercare fireworks disaster Enschede 2001-2006 VWS (€240,000).
- National Argus register coercive measures 2008 – 2014 VWS (€970,000).
- Diagnose, indicate, treat serious mental illness (DITSMI) ZonMW (€530,000).