Research at Hospital and Community Services
Mental illnesses comprise a set of clinical syndromes of bewildering complexity and suffering. The last 30 years have seen a significant improvement in our ability to help persons with mental disorders, through medications and psychological therapies. Still, we know very little of how the brain can produce crippling attacks of anxiety or tormenting inner voices.
The Hospital Division in the Department of Psychiatry sponsors active research programs. Some of this research employs neuroimaging techniques such as positron emission tomography or magnetic resonance imaging; other research works directly with medications designed to better treat mental illness with less side-effects.