Mental Health and Medicine

The connection between mental health and the progress and treatment of other medical conditions is an emerging area of focus for the Women's Mental Health Research Program. At the Women's College Hospital, a new program is being established to investigate the impact of psychiatric illnesses on other medical conditions (e.g. depression and diabetes control) and also the psychological barriers to effective outcomes to treatments of other medical conditions (e.g. addressing compliance with treatment for obesity from a psychological perspective). The new academic leader for the Mental Health and Medicine Program, Dr. Mona Gupta also has expertise in bioethics and will be examining ethical issues in the treatment for women with psychiatric illness. This program is in its infancy and will develop a broader connection with other clinical programs at the Women's College Hospital over the next few years.

In the most established study in this area to date, Dr. Sarah Romans is collaborating with rheumatologist Dr. Gillian Hawker and a multidisciplinary team of clinicians to trace the connections between pain, fatigue and mood in women with osteoarthritis and to understand how these factors influence coping strategies and the success of treatment. This multidisciplinary collaboration is helping to create a more comprehensive picture of the issues facing women living with osteoarthritis. For example, the group recently demonstrated that measures of pain in osteoarthritis increased as measures of social support decreased.

In May 2007, the Mental Health and Medicine Program co-sponsored Not Just Any Body's Therapy - Gender Issues in Psychotherapy with the Medically Ill, a one-day conference focusing on strategies for offering mental health treatment and support to people coping with physical illness. This conference, designed for physicians, psychotherapists and other interested health professionals, allowed participants to interact with internationally known experts on the subject of chronic disease and women's mental health. Click here for details.

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