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Program Requirements

The Ph.D. in Mental Health, which is rooted in a strong tradition of multidisciplinary research approaches, focuses on the development of mental health services and policy, social and cultural psychiatry, and clinical and transnational psychiatry. Students are exposed to a rich body of knowledge in psychiatry and mental health research methods by participating in regular academic activities organized by different units of the Department of Psychiatry, such as weekly research seminars, global mental health rounds, Indigenous mental health workshops, the Summer Program in Cultural Psychiatry, and the conferences and workshops organized by the Advanced Study Institute in Cultural Psychiatry.

Thesis
A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.

Required Courses (6 credits)

• PSYT 605 History and Philosophy of Psychiatry (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : Philosophical and historical perspectives on the construction of scientific knowledge in psychiatry, including mental illness and disorders and corresponding evolution of various forms of treatments.

  Terms: Winter 2022

  Instructors: Gold, Ian Jeffrey; Gomez-Carrillo Castro, Ana (Winter)

• PSYT 606 Mental Illness: Symptoms Diagnostics and Determinants (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : A broad perspective on mental illness, from diagnostic approaches to mental health policies. Examination of symptoms and diagnostic criteria of mood disorders, psychoses, and addictions and impulsivity disorders. Medication- and therapy-based treatments and recent developments in mind-body approaches. Epidemiology and social determinants of mental illness, and mental health prevention, services and policy.

  Terms: Fall 2021

  Instructors: Rochford, Joseph (Fall)

• PSYT 701 Comprehensive Exam Mental Health

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : Mandatory comprehensive exam for all students enrolled in the Mental Health Ph.D. program, and must be completed by the end of the second year. The results of the examination determine whether or not students will be permitted to continue in the program.

  Terms: Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Summer 2022

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Complementary Courses (3 credits)

3 credits from the following or 3 credits of 500 level or higher from another unit chosen in consultation with the student's academic advisor or supervisor:

• PSYT 500 Advances: Neurobiology of Mental Disorders (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Psychiatry : Current theories on the neurobiological basis of most well known mental disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, dementia). Methods and strategies in research on genetic, physiological and biochemical factors in mental illness will be discussed. Discussion will also focus on the rationale for present treatment approaches and on promising new approaches.

  Terms: Winter 2022

  Instructors: Wong, Tak Pan; Nagy, Corina; Chakravarty, Megha; Beaulieu, Serge; Gobbi, Gabriella; Poirier, Judes; Brunet, Alain; Srivastava, Lalit K; Leyton, Marco; Paudel, Hemant K (Winter)

  • Winter

  • 3 hours

  • Prerequisite (Undergraduate): BIOC 212 and BIOC 311, or BIOC 312, or BIOL 200 and BIOL 201, or PHGY 311, or PSYC 308 and an upper-level biological science course with permission of the instructors, or equivalent. Basic knowledge of cellular and molecular biology is required.

  • Restriction: Open to U3 and graduate students only.

  • Restriction: Graduate Studies: strongly recommended for M.Sc. students in Psychiatry.

• PSYT 515 Advanced Studies in Addiction (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Overview

  Psychiatry : Critical assessment of research tools, reported data, and theoretical perspectives on drug addiction, with an emphasis on multi-factorial and inter-disciplinary approaches.

  Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2021-2022 academic year.

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2021-2022 academic year.

  • Winter

  • Prerequisite: PSYT 301 or permission from one of the instructors.

  • Restrictions: Priority will be given to graduate students registered in Psychiatry, Psychology or Neuroscience graduate programs. Open to undergraduates who have completed PSYT 301 or an equivalent course. Undergraduates must obtain permission of the instructors before registration. Not open to students who have taken PSYT 615.

• PSYT 620 Trends in Clinical Psychiatry (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : A review of the major psychopathologies, the theories that underlie them and their treatment.

  Terms: Winter 2022

  Instructors: Brunet, Alain (Winter)

  • Prerequisite: A course in research methods. Or special permission by the course instructor.

  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 630 or equivalent.

• PSYT 625 Qualitative Research in Health Care (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : Discussion and practice of qualitative methodologies for conducting rigorous and reflective qualitative research projects in health care sector including ethnographic fieldwork and community interviews.

  Terms: Fall 2021

  Instructors: Groleau, Danielle (Fall)

  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who are taking or have taken FMED 625. Open to students with Bachelor's degrees in Health or Social Science.

  • Course will be given in English. Course work may be submitted in English or French.

• PSYT 630 Statistics for Neurosciences (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : Statistics needed for analysing the types of data generated in a laboratory setting, with emphasis on the neurosciences, will be covered. Hypothesis testing, parametric and non-parametric statistics will be studied with a practical approach, using data generated by the students. Computer analysis will be introduced.

  Terms: Fall 2021, Winter 2022

  Instructors: Rochford, Joseph (Fall) Rochford, Joseph (Winter)

• PSYT 633 Social and Cultural Research Methods (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : Introduction to the various research methods commonly used in social and cultural psychiatry, including qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches, with special attention to the unique challenges of working with people with mental illness. Emphasis is placed on the following: study design, cross-cultural measurement, sampling, recruitment, execution, bias, analysis and dissemination. Classic studies in social and cultural psychiatry will be used as examples to illuminate points made. This course will be held every May as part of the Summer Program in Social and Cultural Psychiatry.

  Terms: Summer 2022

  Instructors: Whitley, Rob (Summer)

  • This course will be useful for graduate students in psychiatry, social work, nursing, occupational therapy and related disciplines with an interest in mental health research from a social and cultural perspective.

  • **Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the third lecture day and withdrawal is the sixth lecture day.

• PSYT 682 Psychosocial Issues of Disease (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : The course objective is to provide students with population-level perspectives on psychosocial aspects of chronic health conditions, highlighting the interactions between mental health, social environment, and physical health. Emphasis will be placed on integrating the following topics: affective symptoms and disorders, community factors, lifestyle behaviours, disability and quality of life, and the onset and course of chronic diseases.

  Terms: Fall 2021

  Instructors: Meng, Xiangfei; Ferrari, Manuela (Fall)

  • Prerequisite: Must be registered in an MSc or PhD program.

  • Restriction: Permission of instructors.

• PSYT 696 Special Topics in Psychiatry (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : Supervised reading and discussion of selected issues and topics in contemporary psychiatry. Students will be responsible for assigned readings and for preparation of a graded paper.

  Terms: Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Summer 2022

  Instructors: Mechawar, Naguib (Summer)

• PSYT 711 Cultural Psychiatry (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : Topics covered: cross-national epidemiological and ethnographic research of major and minor psychiatric disorders; culture-bound syndromes and idioms of distress; culture, emotion and social interaction; psychological and symbolic healing; mental health of immigrants and refugees; psychiatric theory and practice as cultural constructions; methods of cross-cultural research.

  Terms: Summer 2022

  Instructors: Kirmayer, Laurence J; Kronick, Rachel Cardon; Jarvis, Eric; Rousseau, Cecile (Summer)

  • Prerequisites: Knowledge of psychiatry and anthropology

  • **Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal is the fourth lecture day.

• PSYT 713 Psychiatric Epidemiology (3 credits)

  Offered by: Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Psychiatry : An overview of the applications of epidemiology in psychiatry, including instruments and methods used in community studies; major recent population surveys of psychiatric disorders; study of treatment-seeking, pathways to care and use of services; interaction between psychological distress and physical health; methods used in specific populations; evaluation of treatment.

  Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2021-2022 academic year.

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2021-2022 academic year.

  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 601 or equivalent, or permission of instructor.

  • **Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the third lecture day and withdrawal is the sixth lecture day.