Mood Disorders


Psychiatric diseases, particularly depression and schizophrenia, are the most expensive diseases and the largest contributors to chronic health care beds. Mental illness has devastating effects on the people affected, as well as on those who care about and for them. Together with the UBC Department of Psychiatry, the UBC Mood Disorders Centre, and the UBC Mental Health Institute, the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health is at the forefront of research into the biological mechanisms that underlie mental health and illness. We hope that by understanding the genetic and environmental factors that predispose people to mental illness–as well as understanding the mechanisms of disorders within the brain–that we can develop new strategies to better treat, manage, and ultimately prevent them.