News Releases
Discussion on Schizophrenia and Psychosis inYouth Kicks Off New Public Lecture Series at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
January 11, 2010
OTTAWA – In celebration of its Centennial anniversary in 2010, the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre is presenting a year-long series of free public lectures addressing important topics in mental health. The first lecture, called “Open the Doors: Schizophrenia and Psychosis in Youth”, is aimed at helping students and parents understand how to recognize and cope with severe mental illness. This lecture will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 14 at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre.
It is estimated that 1 in 5 Canadians will be affected by mental illness at some point in their lives.
This means that mental health issues affect everyone, either personally or through family and friends. With its Centennial Public Lecture Series, the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre aims to bring mental illness out of the shadows and encourage frank and open conversations about mental health.
“Mental health is too important to be left out of our public and private discussions,” said George Weber, president and CEO, Royal Ottawa Health Care Group. “We hope that our Centennial Public Lecture Series will help families, friends, and communities understand and address mental health issues.”
The Centennial Public Lecture Series at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre will cover a broad range of mental health topics including nutrition and mental health, suicide awareness, sex crimes, cannabis and psychosis, the relationship between homelessness and mental health, and Recovery for Veterans and their Families from Operational Stress Injuries such as PTSD.
A full list of topics, dates, and registration details can be found http://www.rohcg.on.ca/100/index-e.cfm.
In “Open Doors: Schizophrenia and Psychosis in Youth”, Dr. Sharman Robertson, a psychiatrist, will be joined by Matt & Mike, two young people who have experience with schizophrenia and psychosis, to discuss mental illness from their own unique perspectives. The lecture will shed light on the myths and realities of serious mental illness. It will also provide the audience with information on how to help classmates, friends or family members cope with schizophrenia and psychosis.
“Open Doors: Schizophrenia and Psychosis in Youth”, is based on Open the Doors, a program designed to help students recognize the early warning signs of peers who may be struggling with mental illness. Open the Doors is delivered to high school classes in collaboration by The Schizophrenia Society of Ontario – Ottawa Region and Champlain District Regional First Episode Psychosis Program (On Track Program). The evening lecture will be adapted for an audience of both youth and adults.
“Open Doors: Schizophrenia and Psychosis in Youth” will take place on Thursday, January 14, 2010 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30) with informal reception to ollow. The lecture will be in the Associates in Psychiatry Auditorium at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, 1145 Carling Avenue. Admission is free.
The next lecture in the Centennial lecture series is “Homelessness, Housing, and its Relationship to Mental Health”, presented by Dr. Susan Farrell of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group on Thursday, February 11, 2010.
For more information, please contact:
Karen Monaghan
Media and Communications Officer, Communications & Community Engagement
Royal Ottawa Health Care Group at 613.722.6521, ext. 6449 or [email protected]
Sue Riley
Administrative Coordinator, Communications Department
Royal Ottawa Health Care Group at 613.722.6521, ext. 6349 or [email protected]
