Jari Tiihonen

Jari Tiihonen

Professor/Specialist Physician
Telephone: +46852485283
Visiting address: Norra Stationsgatan 69, plan 7, 17176 Stockholm
Postal address: K8 Klinisk neurovetenskap, K8 CPF Tiihonen, 171 77 Stockholm
Part of:

About me

  • I am Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Karolinska Institutet, since 2011. Till February 2026, I have authored 645 papers in peer-reviewed journals (641 listed in Scopus), with H-index of 82, and 26, 000 citations. I received Matti Äyräpää Award, the most prestigious prize in medicine in Finland, in 2022. I was honored as Highly Cited Researcher (top 1%) 2025 by Clarivate, and Highly Ranked Scholar 2025 (0.05% of scholars) by Scholar GPS (ranked as #5 in the world in the field of schizophrenia).

Research

  • The main topics in my scientific work in psychiatry are real-world effectiveness of pharmacological treatments of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, and substance abuse, as well as psychopharmacology, stem cell studies to elucidate neurobiology of schizophrenia, functional brain imaging, autoradiography studies on dopamine and serotonin receptors and transporters in the human brain, and epidemiology, genetics and neurobiology of schizophrenia, substance dependence, and violent and suicidal behavior.

    My research group has used pharmacoepidemiological methodology to study real-world effectiveness of psychopharmacological treatments by using nation-wide databases, and I have also conducted several randomized controlled trials on treatment-resistant schizophrenia and substance dependence. The publications by my group have influenced treatment practices of schizophrenia worldwide, and the latest American Psychiatric Association treatment guideline (Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Schizophrenia, 3rd ed. 2021) has cited 8 of these publications related to pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia.

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 March 2024 - 28 February 2027
    Over a 3-year project, EU-MIND’s ambition is to bring a European solution for improving the organization of care for comorbid severe mental disorders (SMD) and physical disorders.Why is it a priority? SMD (which includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder) represent the leading source of years lost to disability from all medical illnesses and constitute three of the top ten causes of disability. In EU countries, it has been estimated that over 80 million women and men of all ages would experience some form of mental disorders. Mental disorders have also a high economic burden for society with total costs estimated at over 600 billion € across the 28 EU countries. People with SMD die up to 15 years earlier than the general population, with around 70% of this mortality gap attributed to physical comorbidities. More than one in three persons with SMD has one or more physical comorbidities. The poor physical health and the associated gap in life expectancy experienced by people with SMD have either not improved or worsened over the last decades. Besides modifiable lifestyle factors and side effects of psychotropic medications, access to and quality of health care remain critical priority for individuals with SMD.Where do we go from here? Clinical practice guidelines are already available but not sufficiently and/or adequately provided. Person-centered and integrated care models are critical for supporting effective implementation approaches to translate evidence into practice. However, the challenge lies in implementing these models effectively. There is therefore a need to prioritize the most effective and appropriate integrated care models through a consensus-based approach, informed by a review of available evidence and real-world data on cause-specific premature excess mortality, health care utilization and trajectory of care. EU-MIND intends to focus on the environmental impact of the selected integrated care models. Additionally, the feasibility, potential savings, and cost-effectiveness of these integrated care models must carefully be evaluated to ensure their successful implementation. Finally, addressing the physical disorders of people with SMD also requires a comprehensive and collective approach that encompasses a broader societal perspective which can represent barriers to the model’s dissemination.How to close the gap? EU-MIND is an ambitious collaborative and interdisciplinary initiative from six EU countries (i.e., Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Poland and Sweden), supported by highly recognized partners and composed of six work-packages. First, excess mortality, health care utilization and trajectory of mental and physical care will be assessed through the analysis of EU nationwide databases to identify actionable gaps in care pathways. Second, we will identify and describe integrated care models for comorbid SMD and physical disorders through a scoping literature review. Third, we will build a European consensus from a Delphi panel including patients and caregivers, healthcare professionals and policymakers about which integrated care models they consider most acceptable and promising. Fourth, we will investigate, through a health economic evaluation, the societal knowledge, attitudes, practices and willingness to pay and the financial impact of implementing an integrated care model. Fifth, we will perform a feasibility pilot study in two real-world settings to provide valuable insights into the practicality and sustainability of integrated model of care. Finally, we will strive to promote the dissemination and translation of knowledge using different channels through inclusive and collaborative efforts that involve multiple stakeholders. With the collaboration of patients, healthcare professionals, policymakers and citizens across Europe, EU-MIND aims to pave the way for more effective, person-centered care for those with comorbid SMD and physical disorders.

Employments

  • Professor/Specialist Physician, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 2026-2026

Degrees and Education

  • Specialist in Psychiatry, Psychiatry, University of Kuopio, 1994
  • Specialist in Forensic Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, University of Kuopio, 1994
  • Docent, University of Kuopio, 1992
  • PhD, Evoked and spontaneous neuromagnetic activity in man, University of Kuopio, 1990
  • MD, University of Kuopio, 1985

News from KI

Events from KI