Computational Psychiatry

Computational approaches based on new developments in quantitative modelling pervade many areas of science and have the potential to play a critical role in the progression of neuroscience and psychiatry. Current psychiatric classification systems are organized around latent classes as underlying causal processes behind the covariation structures of the symptoms/risk-behaviors. However, this approach does not provide an account of causal processes and individual-level predictability which is required to attain a balance between macro-level generalizability and micro-level applicability. Computational methods offer the possibility to untangle the Gordian knot of clinical usefulness vs. scientific generalizability in psychiatric research. With several computational projects in the department of psychiatry of the University of Montreal, the Venture Lab is a leader in the application of computational modelling to neuro-behavioral data.