Mental health and psychiatry 101

Is mental health better understood now, compared with years past? Has treatment improved? Are people with mental illness involved too often with the legal system? What does mental illness actually mean? Which medications revolutionized the practice of medicine and which failed to fulfill their promise? Which approaches for curing mental illness appear to be most promising?

The Mini-Psych School provides the answers to these questions and many more about mental health and psychiatry. It is organized by the Douglas' Mental Health Education Office (MHEO).

The ABC's of the Mini-Psych School

  • A series of captivating classes
  • Each class consists of a one-hour lecture followed by a half-hour question and answer period
  • Each class builds upon the previous one
  • Each class is taught by a clinician and/or researcher skilled at explaining difficult concepts to the lay public
  • Classes are endorsed and overseen by a Douglas specialist who presents graduation certificates at the last lecture

Why a Mini-Psych School?

Participants of the 2009 Mini-Psych School talk about their experience
Mental illnesses affect one out of five individuals. No matter what its severity, mental illness cannot be ignored or disregarded. For many, coping with these illnesses can be a lonely lifelong challenge.

By bringing together experts in the fields of psychology and psychiatry with members from the community, the Mini-Psych School will provide easily accessible information about the brain and mental disorders, why they appear, what happens when they appear and ways to treat them.

Mini-Psych School was therefore developed to:

  • Provide public education on mental illnesses
  • Educate the general public about mental health issues
  • Dispel myths about mental disorders

Funding

The Mini-Psych School was made possible thanks to the generous contribution of the Gustav Levinschi Foundation and support from the Douglas Institute Foundation.

The sale of Mini-Psych School DVDs also helps fund the program. You can buy them from the Douglas Institute’s on-line boutique.

Information

Mini-Psych School
Phone: 514-761-6131, ext. 2788
info_At_douglas_dot_qc_dot_ca

Stay connected year-round

Some of Mini-Psych School classes are podcasted in McGill University iTunesU.

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