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Research interests:

• Etiology of emotion regulation difficulties 
• Relation between cognitive control and emotion regulation difficulties.
• Interception
• Psychophysiology/heart rate variability
• Role of alexithymia in psychopathology and treatment
• Psychotherapy research

Emotion regulation difficulties are common for individuals who have experienced aversive life events and invalidation and for some individuals with cognitive difficulties such as attention difficulties. In my research, an important measure in the study of emotion regulation difficulties has been heart rate variability (HRV) in combination with clinical, experimental, and self-report measures. HRV is considered an index of the nervous system’s ability to flexibly adapt to changing environmental demands and a biological index of emotion regulation. In my research, HRV is also applied to investigate functional aspects of phenomena related to emotion regulation difficulties, such as alexithymia, emotional bias, internalizing difficulties, and emotion regulation strategies, both in psychopathological (major depression, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and ADHD) and healthy samples.  In relation to psychotherapeutic interventions for emotion regulation difficulties, my research interest is particularly in non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH), and its relation to attention disorders and difficulties with pragmatic language. 

One transdiagnostic factor that predicts both the severity of psychopathology and prognosis is alexithymia, which refers to difficulty in verbalizing, experiencing, and differentiating emotions. An important aspect of my current and future research is developing tools to identify and study this phenomenon experimentally. It is of great importance to study both the differential manifestation of alexithymia and to study its prevalence in psychiatric populations. Furthermore, I am interested in therapeutic interventions that target and alleviate these difficulties because of their prognostic importance. This interest has a broad scope, including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Unified Protocol.

https://bymag.no/2022/03/susanne-slet-med-selvskading-i-flere-ar-det-starter-i-desperasjon

https://www.lmd.no/2017/10/hjernen-gjor-motstand/

Primary teaching responsibilities are associated with the professional psychology program within the following topics:

• Psychological treatment (PRPSYK311A, PRPSYK311B, PRPSYK312A)
• Personality disorders (PRPSYK313)
• Philosophy of science topics (PRPSYKVIT) 

In addition, Osnes is the section leader for the section for adults and the elderly at the Psychological University Clinic ()

Osnes has also extensive experience in teaching psychophysiology (PRPSYK303), cognitive neuroscience (PRPSYK304), and neuropsychological testing (PRPSYK306).

Conference poster

Academic article

Conference lecture

Media feature article

Report

Study protocol

Conference abstract

Doctoral thesis (PhD)

Academic book chapter

Lecture

Journal corrigendum

Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (Unified Protocol):

The Unified Protocol (UP) focuses on underlying emotion regulation difficulties that are common across various mental disorders. This project consists of multiple components. A feasibility study of UP has been initiated in a Norwegian context. The project will also enable the investigation of potential changes in interoceptive ability (sensing internal bodily functions like the heart and respiration) and heart rate variability (which is linked to emotion regulation ability) in individuals undergoing treatment within the framework of UP. Professor Elisabeth Schanche, Associate Professor Jon Vøllestand, and Associate Professor Berge Osnes lead this project. A larger European multisite study (RCT) involving units from Spain, Portugal, Romania, Germany, Denmark, and Norway is planned. In this part of the project, new digital solutions and technological tools, such as smartphone apps, will be utilized and tested.

Sleep in Psychiatric Care (SIP): A Transdiagnostic Group-based Sleep School as Treatment for Comorbid Sleep Disorders:

This project involves manualizing non-pharmacological sleep treatment in groups for people with psychiatric illness and substance use disorders. It offers an evidence-based approach to delivering non-pharmacological sleep treatment to people with psychiatric illness and SUD with comorbid insomnia and delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD). Dr. Ane Wilhelmsen-Langeland is the project leader. The project includes actigraphy, 24-hour heart rate variability monitoring, and regular sleep measurements. It is supported by the DAM Foundation.

https://www.uib.no/fg/sc/142812/sleep-psychiatric-care-sip-transdiagnostic-group-based-sleep-school-treatment-comorbid

Dynamond:

ADHD, bipolar disorder (BipD), and borderline personality disorder (BPersD) are all characterized by fluctuations in affect. In this project, we use the DynAffect model, which posits the existence of an affective attractor (homebase) reflecting an individual's primary affective state. This project proposes the existence of a second "homebase" during depressive episodes. The aim of this project is to analyze mood changes using detailed real-world data from young patients. The goal is to explore both shared and unique aspects of affective fluctuations across these disorders and to link external stressors to their affective state.

The project is funded by the EU (ERA-NET NEURON https://www.neuron-eranet.eu) and involves multiple units across Europe, coordinated by Dr. Professor Andreas Reif (University Hospital Frankfurt). The Norwegian unit is led by Professor Jan Haavik (project leader), Associate Professor Anne Halmøy, Professor Astrid Lundervold, and Associate Professor Berge Osnes.

https://www.neuron-eranet.eu/projects/DynAMoND/

Other Collaborative Projects:

• ENLIGHT Project
• Neurobiological Mechanisms of ECT and TMS Treatment in Depression
  • Protocol article:
  • The project is part of GEMRIC https://mmiv.no/how-to-join-gemric/