News Roundup - October 2022

Our faculty members frequently make appearances in the media as expert consultants or authors. This article summarizes the faculty media appearances that were featured in our Department newsletter in October 2022.

New website allows dementia patients to determine whether it’s still safe to drive 

The Globe and Mail. October 27, 2022. Feat. Dr. Mark Rapoport.

Dr. Rapoport discusses developing the website after years of seeing how much tension driving and dementia can cause.

COVID-19 Increases Risk of Psychiatric Disorders 

Psychiatric News. October 24, 2022. Feat. Dr. Kathleen Sheehan.

Dr. Sheehan discusses the need for an explicit focus on the integration of mental and physical health to help COVID-19 patients.

Researchers shrink brain tumours with gold nanoparticles, develop ‘mini brains’ to study psychiatric disorders

UofT News. October 18, 2022. Featuring Dr. Ana Cristina Andreazza.

Dr. Andreazza assists U of T alum Angela Duong in creating 2D and 3D brain models to better identify biological targets that can be used in the development of therapeutics, and uses these models to further investigate a range of psychiatric conditions.

Autumn draws awareness of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Global News. October 14, 2022. Featuring Dr. Michael Mak.

Dr. Mak describes common symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder and suggests ways to battle this type of depression, such as ‘bright light therapy.’

‘This is really the end’: Asylum seekers in Canada struggle with suicidal thoughts

Global News. October 13, 2022. Featuring Dr. Michaela Beder.

Dr. Beder uses his expertise on immigration and severe mental illness to expand on the negative effects of the immigration system structure on the mental health of asylum seekers.

Scheduled to Die: The Rise of Canada's Assisted Suicide Program

Common Sense. October 11, 2022. Featuring Dr. K. Sonu Gaind.

Dr. Gaind explores the nuances of the Medical Assistance in Dying Act (MAiD) and raises concerns on how it results in the deaths of marginalised Canadians whose psychosocial suffering could be alleviated in different ways.

Suicide Notes Offer 'Unique Window' Into Motives, Risks in the Elderly

Medscape Medical News. October 10, 2022. Featuring Dr. Ari Cuperfain.

Dr. Cuperfain investigates suicide notes left by elderly people in order to better understand the reasons for suicide attempts and to consequently decrease suicide risk in this vulnerable population.

Euthanasia and mental illness: To avoid a painful death or to avoid a painful life?

Milénio Stadium. October 7, 2022. Featuring Dr. K. Sonu Gaind.

Dr. Gaind weighs in on the debate surrounding the MAiD expansion that will allow euthanasia for patients with sole mental illnesses.  

Long-term Antidepressant Use Tied to an Increase in CVD, Mortality Risk

Medscape Medical News. October 6, 2022. Featuring Dr. Roger McIntyre.

Dr. McIntyre discusses the strengths and weaknesses of a Cambridge study that investigates the relationship between long-term antidepressant use and its effect on patients’ susceptibility to cardiovascular disease.

Course aims to better educate doctors about obesity

Taproot Edmonton. October 5, 2022. Featuring Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam.

Dr. Sockalingam speaks on the development of Calibre, his new program on obesity that takes into account the nuances of living with and treating obesity with input from people living with obesity. 

Interest Grows in Treatment of Mood Disorders by Classic Psychedelics

Psychiatric Times. October 4, 2022. By Dr. Nicole Ledwos, Dr. Ishrat Husain, Dr. David J. Castle, and Dr. Tony P. George.

This group of researchers explore the use of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of mental health disorders in this new study, kickstarting a growing interest in the drugs’ medical potential.