Are you open-minded? Come celebrate with us and help us increase mental health awareness! By participating in our Open Minds Event, you will support a more inclusive and open society.

Slip into your favourite jeans and most comfortable shoes and eat, drink and dance the night away!  We look forward to seeing you there!

We are a registered charity (# 10146 9609 RR0001), a tax receipt for your donation or for the deductible portion of your tickets will be issued after the event.

You can still make a donation

By supporting the Douglas Mental Health University Institute Foundation, you are contributing to :

The Douglas Research Centre

Some fundamental discoveries of the Douglas researchers

1993 – Dr. Judes Poirier identifies the gene associated with Alzheimer’s disease

2003 – Dr Howard Steiger shows that genetic factors have a significant influence in anorexia or bulimia development.

2009 – The researchers Dr. Gustavo Turecki and Dr. Michael Meaney use a groundbreaking approach, epigenetics, to discover that childhood abuse affects certain genes and increases suicide risk.

2013 – Dr. Jens Pruessner discovers not only that violence experienced during childhood changes the brain structure but also that those changes reflect the very nature of the abuse, sexual or emotional.

2014 – Le Dr Bruno Giros demonstrates for the first time the role of dopamine in brain hippocampus structure. At the end, his studies will enable the development of new therapeutic approaches to treat schizophrenia.

2014 – Dr. Judes Poirier and his team discover a genetic variant which reduce from 30 to 50% the risk of developing Alzheimer disease. This is good news as a medicine capable of imitating its effects exists, and could possibly delays the first signs of this terrible disease.

2016 – Dr. Sylvain Williams and his team find new evidence that Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is crucial in the mouse memory formation. This discovery might apply to humans, as a poor quality of sleep is more and more associated with brain diseases triggering (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson).

Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend or colleague

– 1 Canadian in 5 will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime.- Of the 10 leading causes of disability worldwide, five are mental disorders

– About 4,000 Canadians commit suicide each year. It represents 24% of all deaths among 15-24 year olds.

– In Canada, only 1 out of 5 children who need mental health services receives them.

– Almost one half (49%) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem.

– By 2020, the World Health Organization estimates that depressive illnesses will become the second leading cause of disease burden worldwide and the leading cause in developed countries like Canada.

– 3.4 million Canadians are affected by major depression (800,000 Quebecers).

– Once depression is recognized, help can make a difference for 80% of people who are affected, allowing them to get back to their regular activities.

– Less than 4% of medical research funding goes to mental illness research. Yet 20% of Canadians will experience a diagnosable mental illness in their life.