Michael Berk, MBBCh, PhD

Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), School of Medicine, Deakin University, The Geelong Clinic and Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia; Orygen The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

  • 16Articles
  • 81.3KReads
  • 1996–2026Active
  • 122Collaborators
  • 860Citations

About

Michael Berk, MBBCh, PhD, is affiliated with the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation at Deakin University, The Geelong Clinic and Barwon Health, Orygen The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, and Monash University. With publications spanning from 1996 to 2026, Berk has contributed extensively to research on depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders, anxiety, cardiology, psychopharmacology, and suicide. His work includes studies on antidepressant cessation symptoms, MAOI antidepressants, N-acetylcysteine in mood disorders, effects of asenapine in bipolar depression, nocebo effects in major depression treatment, and adjunctive therapies in treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Publications

JCP
When Do Physical Symptoms After Antidepressant Cessation Reflect Pharmacodynamic versus Non-pharmacodynamic Clinical Phenomena?
ASCP Corner

When Do Physical Symptoms After Antidepressant Cessation Reflect Pharmacodynamic versus Non-pharmacodynamic Clinical Phenomena?

August 6, 2026

Focuses on descriptive symptom phenomenology and strategies to minimize discomfort during antidepressant cessation, with possible explanations for unusual, delayed, or protracted symptoms in patients for whom non-pharmacodynamic features may...
, , , et al
JCP
MAOI Antidepressants: A History Being Rewritten
Commentary

MAOI Antidepressants: A History Being Rewritten

November 26, 2025

Members of the International MAOI Expert Group discuss historical use of MAOIs, consider their efficacy and safety, and underscore the importance of reassessing their place in treatment algorithms.
, , , et al
JCP
Interpersonal Trauma and Depression Severity in Bipolar Disorder
Original Research

Interpersonal Trauma and Depression Severity in Bipolar Disorder

April 10, 2023

In bipolar disorder patients currently receiving treatment, a history of childhood trauma was associated with more severe depression.
, , , et al
JCP
Meta-Analysis

N-Acetylcysteine in Depressive Symptoms and Functionality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

April 27, 2016

, , , et al
JCP
Original Research

Effects of Asenapine in Bipolar I Patients Meeting Proxy Criteria for Moderate-to-Severe Mixed Major Depressive Episodes: A Post Hoc Analysis

June 24, 2015

, , , et al
JCP
Meta-Analysis

Nocebo Effects in the Treatment of Major Depression: Results From an Individual Study Participant-Level Meta-Analysis of the Placebo Arm of Duloxetine Clinical Trials

June 24, 2015

, , , et al
JCP
Letter to the Editor

Effects of N-Acetyl Cysteine on Suicidal Ideation in Bipolar Depression

May 27, 2015

, , , et al
JCP
Original Research

Efficiency of N-Acetylcysteine in MDD

June 27, 2014

Read about the Efficacy of N-Acetylcysteine in Major Depressive Disorder: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
, , , et al
JCP
Original Research

Extreme Attributions Predict the Course of Bipolar Depression: Results From the STEP-BD Randomized Controlled Trial of Psychosocial Treatment

March 15, 2013

, , , et al
JCP
Original Research

The Use of Statins After a Cardiac Intervention Is Associated With Reduced Risk of Subsequent Depression: Proof of Concept for the Inflammatory and Oxidative Hypotheses of Depression?

December 14, 2010

,
JCP
Original Research

Qualitative Methods in Early-Phase Drug Trials: Broadening the Scope of Data and Methods From an RCT of N-Acetylcysteine in Schizophrenia

September 21, 2010

, , , et al
JCP
Original Research

Improvement of Negative and Positive Symptoms in Treatment-Refractory Schizophrenia: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial With Memantine as Add-On Therapy to Clozapine

October 15, 2009

, , , et al

Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc. (PPP) makes no warranties about the accuracy or completeness of any information published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry or other PPP materials, and disclaims liability for any use or non-use of that information. Clinicians should not rely solely on these materials and should exercise their own professional judgment when making patient care decisions on an individualized basis.

Learn More About Psychedelics in Psychiatry

Explore the Collection
Neural network illustration symbolizing psychedelic research advancements

Subscribe to read
more articles

Subscribe