psychiatric rehabilitation and tertiary care

Psychiatric rehabilitation and tertiary mental health care research at Lawson aims to develop, study, disseminate, advance and promote assessments, interventions, and policies that facilitate recovery of people with serious mental illness. (Recovery is measured through the achievement of a personally meaningful life and valued social roles).

The theoretical framework is informed by disability studies, addressing the fit between people with serious mental illness and their physical and social environments. Our research encompasses a wide variety of methods, from conceptual and ethical analysis, to randomized controlled psychosocial trials to transformative (participatory action) research and beyond. Examples of research projects ongoing at Lawson include:

• conceptual analysis of the notion of psychiatric disability
• humor related interventions for people with mental illness
• pilot study of combined supported education and supported employment for people with mental illness
• horseback riding for particularly disabled people with schizophrenia who reside in the community
• combined cognitive remediation and smart technology for difficult to discharge inpatients with schizophrenia
• facilitated discharge of psychiatric inpatients with no fixed address to secure housing
• interventions to support youth with mental illnesses
• relationship between poverty and mental health

These studies are funded by a variety of funding agencies, including Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Ontario Mental Health Foundation, Western and Lawson.

Click here to learn about research involving the Genetics of Schizophrenia.
Click here to learn about Mental Health Legislation research.

For more information, contact:

Abraham Rudnick BMedSc, MD, MPsych, PhD, CPRP, FRCPC
Associate Professor, Depts. Psychiatry and Philosophy,
Chair, Division of Social and Rural Psychiatry, Dept. of Psychiatry,
The University of Western Ontario
Physician-Leader, Psychosis Program,
Regional Mental Health Care at St. Joseph's Health Care London

519.455.5110 ext. 47417
arudnic2@uwo.ca

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