A recent article from ‘Inside Bay Area’ discusses the work of psychiatrist Nick Kanas and his team, who study the minds of astronauts.
Kanas heads up the Human Interactions in Space project, that studies the psychology of space travel, both to improve mission efficiency and maintain mental health during its completion.
The research team uses a number of techniques. One method is to use simulated missions, where participants are required to live in confined spaces or conduct procedures while being observed. Another is research on astronauts during ‘live’ missions.
Link to article from Inside Bay Area.
Link to brief summary of book ‘Space Psychology and Psychiatry’.
Mind Hacks 
Space psychiatrist
Nick Kanas, the “father of space psychology,” studies the mental effects of space flight and long periods of isolation on astronauts. From Inside Bay Area: In the 1980s the kind of “long-duration” space missions (Kansas had) written about were beginnin…