PrintWhat is neuropsychiatry?
Neuropsychiatry is often referred to as the “interface” between the brain and the mind. This specialty brings together knowledge about physical parts of the brain and how they are connected to our thoughts, feelings and behaviours. For example, brain injuries caused by accidents and other neurological conditions such as epilepsy or Parkinson’s Disease can lead to psychological problems such as depression, anger or behaviour problems.
By looking at how diseases and injuries of the brain are connected to our thoughts, feelings and behaviours, neuropsychiatry helps develop counselling and drug therapies to help patients cope with these disorders.
UHN’s Neuropsychiatry Care Area
UHN’s neuropsychiatry care area includes staff from the disciplines of neuropsychiatry and neuropsychology, who focus their energy on four key areas:
- Neurodevelopmental problems in children: specializing in Tourette’s syndrome, attention deficit disorder, and other behavioural problems
- Sleep program: one of Canada’s largest sleep programs, addressing problems such as panic attacks during sleep, insomnia, breathing problems and epileptic seizures during sleep
- Brain injury program: a predominately community-based program, treating individuals with mild to severe brain injuries
- Epilepsy program: linked with the Neurology department, this program addresses emotional and psychological aspects of this disorder in children and adults
Our program has links with all other branches of Neuroscience at UHN and is involved in research activities, including studies of pain and Parkinson’s disease. Our patient care and research is based on understanding neurological disorders as more than simply disorders that affect the nerves — we are dedicated to better understanding how these conditions have an impact on an individual’s behaviour and emotional well-being.
