James Olver

Associate Professor James Olver is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry in the Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, at the University of Melbourne. His work is based at Austin Health. He holds the medical degrees MBBS, MPM, MD, and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP). In July 2023, during an Austin Health all-staff briefing, Professor Chris Davey presented him with a 25-year service medal from the University of Melbourne, recognizing his extended contributions to the institution.

James Olver's academic and research interests center on the psychopharmacology of mood and anxiety disorders, stress and circadian rhythms. He investigates pharmacokinetics and metabolism using laboratory techniques, neurotransmitter involvement through positron emission tomography technology, and their effects on cognition and motor function via neuropsychological assessments. His career at the University of Melbourne includes prior roles as Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at Austin Hospital and Lecturer. He has coordinated graduate-level subjects including Special Topics in Psychiatry (PSYT90094) and contributed to the Master of Mental Health Science and Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Science programs. Key publications include 'A challenge to the dopamine orthodoxy in schizophrenia?' (2023), 'Desvenlafaxine in the treatment of major depression: an updated overview' (2021), 'Agomelatine for depression: expanding the horizons?' (2019), 'Duloxetine: Clinical Uses, Mechanism of Action and Efficacy' (2018), 'Cognitive existential couple therapy (CECT) in men and partners facing localised prostate cancer: a randomised controlled trial' (2015), 'Impairments of Spatial Working Memory and Attention Following Acute Psychosocial Stress' (2014), 'Prevalence and familial patterns of gastrointestinal symptoms, joint hypermobility and diurnal blood pressure variations in patients with anorexia nervosa' (2013), 'Clinical outcomes of deep brain stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder: insight as a predictor of symptom changes' (2024), and 'Oxytocin in old age psychiatry: A systematic review of the safety of using intranasal oxytocin in older adults' (2024). His research output has accumulated 2,377 citations on ResearchGate.

Professional Email: jamesso@unimelb.edu.au