Eric has been working on understanding how the human mind could under some conditions enter into anomalous states, and how best to help people afflicted with these states of mind.

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Mental distress occurs when the well-tuned brain system for engaging with reality fails. It results in a faulty experience external reality (expressed as delusions and hallucinations), as well as internal identity (sense of self) and emotions. While many people experience these in very mild forms. These experiences can also cascade to pathological states which overpowers the individual and causes substantial suffering and disruptions in the individual’s lives.

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Eric has been exploring the cognitive process, brain mechanisms, as well as the subjective experiences involved in the development of psychosis. With these understandings, he and his team have been working how best to help people afflicted with psychotic disorders. Current strategies include early detection and intervention, as well as focused psychological and pharmacological interventions in the first few critical years. Using longitudinal randomized-controlled studies, case-controlled studies, and naturalistic cohorts, Eric and his team have been studying the long-term effects of interventions. They have found that cognition, relapse prevention, physical exercise, and suicidal tendencies may impact on the outcome. They are working on how to make use of this information to produce culturally adaptive intervention service in low-resource settings.