Starting Saturday and running on weekends through May 8, a series of free forums across the country will give families the chance to learn about breakthroughs and emerging treatments in mental health. Organized by NARSAD, a nonprofit dedicated to mental health research, the ”Healthy Minds Across America” series will feature talks on the latest scientific research surrounding schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism and other conditions.
More than 40 major medical institutions and research centers, including Yale University, the University of Texas and the University of California, will host the forums. Each event will feature three to four presenters, most of whom have received NARSAD grants for their research in psychiatry, neurology, epidemiology, molecular biology and other fields.
The presentations are to include:
- Brain Stimulation: A Breakthrough Treatment Option When Medications Fail
- The Role of Genetics: Emerging Research on Risk Factors for Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Even Suicide
- Productive Lives: Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Serious Mental Disorders
- Early Risk Factors and Potential Intervention for Mental Illnesses like Schizophrenia
- Neuroimaging Technology: Improving Diagnoses of Serious Psychiatric Disorders by Determining How Antipsychotic Medications Are At Work Within the Brain
- Translational Medicine: Translating the Biology of Mental Illness into More Effective Treatments
A full list of forums, including the session topics and presenters, is available online.
