Olivia J. Kirtley PhD

Olivia J. Kirtley is broadly interested in the role of psychophysiological factors in psychological distress, specifically self-harm and suicide. Her work mainly focuses on investigating altered physical pain tolerance in those with suicidal ideation or who have made a suicide attempt, as well as individuals who have thought about or engaged in non-suicidal self-harm (NSSI). Another major strand of her research looks at the relationship between emotional and physical pain in suicide and NSSI. Her Ph.D. also explores the psychological factors which may be related to altered pain sensitivity, such as social perfectionism and feelings of defeat. She has a strong interest in psychological mechanisms that underlie the transition from suicidal ideation to behavior and how they can develop psychosocial interventions to target these. She is particularly interested in biomarkers of NSSI and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, with a special focus on the role of endogenous opioids and endocannabinoids in altered pain sensitivity and emotion regulation.