Professor in Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Helsinki, Finland

e-mail: nina.lindberg@hus.fi

Brief biography:

Nina Lindberg, MD, PhD, was born in 1965 in a rural municipality of Helsinki (Vantaa). She graduated from the University of Turku, Faculty in Medicine, in 1991. She has specialized in Psychiatry (1997), Adolescent Psychiatry (2000), and Forensic Psychiatry (2010). She was appointed a Docent (Adjunct Professor) of Psychiatry in 2006 (University of Helsinki), a Docent of Adolescent Psychiatry in 2011 (University of Tampere), and a Docent of Forensic Psychiatry in 2016 (University of Turku). She was nominated as a Professor in Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Helsinki in 2013. She is currently a Head of the Department, Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Helsinki University Hospital, being responsible for forensic psychiatric examinations. Prior to this, she was a Chief of the Department of Psychiatry, Division of Adolescent Psychiatry, Helsinki University Hospital (2007-2012).

She is a member of the Insurance Court, Ministry of Justice (2004->), a board member of the Finnish Prison Health Care Services (2016->), a board member of the Finnish Psychiatric Association (2012- 2015; vice president 2016-2017; president 2018-2019), and a board member of the Biomedicum Helsinki Foundation (2017->). She has also been a member of the Educational Committee of the Finnish Psychiatric Association (2007-2013) and is currently a member of the Finnish Task Force for Current Care Guidelines for Conduct Disorder (2016->).

By 20 September 2017, she had authored or co-authored 84 published original studies, plus 36 reviews, textbook chapters, or editorials. According to the Scopus, her publications have been cited 878 times (h-index 19). She has supervised 5 completed PhD theses, reviewed 8 PhD theses, and served as an opponent 3 times.

Her research has focused on impulsive aggression, psychopathy, antisocial personality disorder, conduct disorder, delinquency, and school shootings.

Current research projects:

Prognosis of Finnish juvenile offenders: Psychiatric examination reports for all 15- to 19-year-old offenders born in Finland who had undergone the examination between 1.1.1980 and 31.12.2010 were collected from the archives of the National Institute of Health and Welfare. For each delinquent, four age-, gender-, and place of birth -matched controls were randomly selected from the Central Population Register. The delinquents and their controls were followed until 31.12.2015. Various registers, including the Central Population Register, the Cause of Death Register, and the Care Register for Health Care, are being used.

Prognosis of Finnish firesetters: Psychiatric examination reports for a consecutive sample of 441 male firesetters who had undergone a forensic psychiatric examination during 1973-1998 at Helsinki University Hospital were collected. For each delinquent, four age-, gender-, and place of birth -matched controls were randomly selected from the Central Population Register. The follow-up concluded on 31.12.2012. Various Finnish registers are being used. The main focus is on mortality, suicidality, psychopathy, morbidity, and recidivism.

Reproductive health of women with schizophrenia: Using the Care Register for Health Care, we identified Finnish women born in 1965-1980 who were diagnosed with either schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder during the follow-up period ending 31.12.2013. For each case, five age- and place of birth -matched controls were obtained from the Population Register of Finland. Various registers, e.g. the Induced Abortion Register, the Medical Birth Register, and the Malformation Register, are being used.

 

Recently published articles:

Simoila L, Isometsä E, Gissler M, Suvisaari J, Sailas E, Halmesmäki E, Lindberg N. Schizophrenia and induced abortions: a national register-based follow-up study among Finnish women born between 1965-1980 with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Schizophrenia Research 2017; Jun 11. [Epub ahead of print]

Lindberg N, Miettunen J, Heiskala A, Kaltiala-Heino R. Mortality of young offenders: a national register-based follow-up study of 15- to 19-year-old Finnish delinquents referred for forensic psychiatric examination between 1980 and 2010. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2017; 11: 37.

Lindberg N, Miettunen J, Heiskala A, Kaltiala-Heino R. Serious delinquency and later schizophrenia: a nationwide register-based follow-up study among Finnish pretrial 15-19 year-old offenders sent for a forensic psychiatric examination. European Psychiatry 2017; 44: 173 – 78.

Thomson A, Tiihonen J, Miettunen J, Virkkunen M, Lindberg N. Fire-setting performed in adolescence or early adulthood predicts schizophrenia: a register-based follow-up study of pretrial offenders. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 2017; 71(2): 96-101.

Kaunomäki J, Jokela M, Sailas E, Kontio R, Laiho T, Lindberg N. The Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression (DASA)-  risk   assessments and their relation to nursing interventions in a Finnish psychiatric acute ward.  BMC Health Services Research 2017; 17:26.

Sumia M, Lindberg N, Työläjärvi M, Kaltiala-Heino R. Current and recalled childhood gender identity in community youth in comparison to referred adolescents seeking sex reassignment. Journal of Adolescence 2017; 56: 34-39.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *