In her JGH office, Professor Samira Abbasgholizadeh Rahimi (left) meets with Shahnaz Ghahramani, who participated in a study as part of the HOPE project. In Prof. Rahami’s hand is one of the smart routers that was placed in the homes of senior test subjects to monitor their daily routines and use AI to predict their risk of becoming depressed.
June 2025Research at the Lady Davis Institute

Studies under way to use AI to identify seniors at risk for depression

AI program analyzes data about seniors’ daily routines to find patterns that point to the possibility of depression.

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Among those on the care team in the Brief Intervention Unit in Psychiatry are (from right) Psychiatrist Dr. Robert Biskin, Associate Director Laurence Benoit-Dubé, Nurse Clinician Dorothée Mukagashumba, Orderly Desmond Isaac Ololade, Chief Program Manager Ryan Muscott, and volunteer Pet Therapist Justine Lang. (Click to enlarge.)
Feature articlesFebruary 2025

New Psychiatry unit is geared to patients requiring short-term hospitalization

Treatment for less-severe conditions lasts two to three days in Brief Intervention Unit in Psychiatry.

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Mental health app
NewsOctober 2020

New app helps family doctors track patients’ mental health in greater detail

New app will enhance the quality of mental-health treatment by helping family doctors to track their patients’ moods over time.

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Dr. Blanca Vacaflor
June 2020Research at the Lady Davis Institute

Telehealth intervention to reduce isolation of older adults

The elderly are especially prone to depression during the COVID-19 lockdown. That’s why the Telehealth Intervention Program for Isolated Older Adults is providing emotional support.

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Dr. Soham Rej, a Geriatric Psychiatrist at the JGH.
February 2020Research at the Lady Davis Institute

Digital tools considered vital in satisfying rising need for geriatric psychiatry

As the proportion of seniors in our population steadily rises, so will the need for geriatric psychiatry, says Dr. Soham Rej, a CIUSSS psychiatrist. He believes digital technology can help cope with the growing demand, but only if the human element remains intact.

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Sarah (left) chats with Dr. Barbara Hayton about the birth of her son last summer.
Feature articlesJanuary 2020

Overcoming psychological obstacles triggered by pregnancy and childbirth

While some new mothers are still treated for postpartum depression, more emphasis is now given to mental disorders throughout pregnancy. Dr. Barbara Hayton, in our Perinatal Mental Health Clinic, helps future moms cope with everything from anxiety to suicidal thoughts.

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Lucie Lacroix cradles a set of virtual reality goggles in her lap, while telling Rifka Hanfling about the uplifting emotional experience of taking virtual trips to foreign locales.
Feature articlesSeptember 2019

Virtual reality transports Palliative Care patients to inspiring, exotic locales

With support from Hope & Cope, the JGH has become the first hospital in Quebec to use virtual reality goggles to boost the spirits of Palliative Care patients by enabling them to “travel” to foreign locales.

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Dr. Amir Raz
July 2017Research at the Lady Davis Institute

Neurofeedback may prove useful only for its placebo effects

Although there is little scientific evidence that behaviour can be changed with the help of neurofeedback, some benefits may still result from the technique’s placebo effects.

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October 2016Research at the Lady Davis Institute

Trying to understand the higher likelihood of depression in girls

It’s a scientific conundrum: Twice as many girls as boys develop anxiety and depressive disorders by the time they reach early adolescence.

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One of the novel aspects of the 2015 JGH Mini-Med School was the staged reading of a play, written and directed by Terry Griffin-Burman, with musical accompaniment by cellist Rachel Burman. The production, about the emotional ups and downs of the elderly, starred (from left) Pasquale DeBlasio, Dan Delaney, Patricia Delaney, Sheila Moriarity and Nancy Cree.
Feature articlesSeptember 2015

Harbouring radical ideas is vastly different from radicalization, psychiatrist explains

Not everyone who expresses an interest in a radical religious or political ideology is dangerous, the audience heard at the 13th annual JGH Mini-Med School.

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