CAMH Annual Report to the Community 2006 - 2007

CAMH research is directly improving the lives of thousands of people affected by mental health and addiction problems.

Locating a new dopamine brain target CAMH researchers Dr. Brian O’Dowd and Dr. Susan George discovered a distinct dopamine-signalling complex in the brain that could help the understanding and treatment of schizophrenia. (Click image for larger view)

CAMH is a world leader in neuroscientific, clinical, social, prevention and health policy research. We are increasingly integrating our scientific findings into clinical practice, education, prevention, health promotion and policy activities. Again this year, we conducted leading-edge scientific research and applied previous discoveries to improve clients’ health outcomes.

Connecting research with care

• Clients with hard-to-treat depression are benefiting from new repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment (RTMS); people with both mental health and addiction problems are receiving specialized concurrent disorders treatment; and young people with psychosis are taking part in early intervention programs to ensure better outcomes.

Connecting research with health promotion and prevention

• High school students are getting the latest facts about mental health issues from the Talking about Mental Illness program; bar staff are learning about the links between alcohol and violence through the Safer Bars project; and people who smoke are getting access to new approaches to quitting through the STOP study.

Connecting research with policy

• Research informed a broad range of policy and practices, such as the new Canadian Mental Health Commission, Ontario’s Safe Schools Policy, Local Health Integration Networks’ priorities, the Toronto Drug Strategy, and the proposed drinking and driving regulations.

Connecting research discoveries with better quality of life

• Mapping the chemical imbalance in depression. CAMH scientist Dr. Jeffrey Meyer’s breakthrough discovery of how chemical imbalance occurs in major depression may lead to more effective and targeted treatment for this disease, which every year affects five per cent of people globally and is the fourth leading cause of death and disability.
• Identifying vulnerability to depression relapse. The first-ever study to link thinking styles and depression relapse showed that people who recover from depression may still be at risk if brief feelings of sadness trigger depressive thinking styles.
• Treating ADHD in adults. Many adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also experience seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression. A new application of light therapy studied by CAMH holds promise for reducing depression in these people, raising their energy levels and improving their functioning.
• Sharing knowledge in epigenetics. CAMH signed a licence agreement for a large-scale profiling system with Epigenomics ag. The system has wide applications that include diagnosing cancer and identifying molecular changes in complex diseases such as schizophrenia. Epigenetics is an emerging field that looks at methods of biological inheritance that do not directly relate to the inheritance of collections of genes. At CAMH, this profiling technology is already being used in the research of epigenetic indicators in psychiatric clients.
• Costs of mental health and addiction issues. CAMH researchers authored two groundbreaking studies that show the costs of mental health and addiction problems:
  • 85% of the total $34 billion annual economic cost of mental illness and addiction in Ontario is due to lost productivity.
  • Among substances, tobacco imposes the greatest cost in Ontario (42% of the total), followed by alcohol (37%) and illegal drugs (20%).
• Prevention of alcohol-related cancer. CAMH’s Alcohol Policy and Research Group developed a best advice paper on alcohol and cancer, a much-needed resource for government, the health system and community groups, that details current research and prevention initiatives.

CAMH research by the numbers

CAMH is the largest mental health and addiction research facility in Canada.

In 2006–2007, we had:

• 100 full-time scientists and 300 staff engaged in research
• 5 prestigious Canada Research Chairs
• 7 endowed university chairs and professorships
• a 35% increase in postdoctoral fellows
• more than 390 papers, 90 book chapters and 20 books published.

Making Connections: Integration in Mental Health and Addiction

• Message from the Chair and President
• Making connections between people and clinical care
  • Law and Mental Health Program
  • Child, Youth and Family Program
  • Connecting older people with mental health and addiction services
  • Linking therapy and culture competence: Expanding services to Aboriginal people
  • Integrating the social determinants of health into care, research and education
• Connecting research with everything else we do
  • Linking research to health promotion: From the neuron to the neighbourhood
• Linking communities locally, provincially and globally
  • Helping underserved areas
  • Educating local service providers throughout Ontario
  • Reaching francophone communities
  • Building capacity in the community
  • CAMH Provincial Services
  • Connecting CAMH expertise to needs around the globe
  • Building capacity in Sri Lanka
• Building on excellence
  • Building a world-class hospital
• Financial snapshot (PDF version only)
• CAMH by the numbers (PDF version only)
• Board of Trustees as of March 31, 2007
• Senior Management Group