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?

By bringing together experts in the fields of psychology and psychiatry with members from the community, the Mini-Psych School provides easily accessible information about the brain and mental disorders. It is organized by the Douglas Mental Health Education Office (MHEO).

In 2011, Accreditation Canada recognized Mini-Psych School as a best practice.

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