Addressing the substantial societal impacts of psychotic disorders…

Psychotic disorders are increasingly recognized as an important public health issue. Despite being a relatively rare condition, they are one of the top twenty leading causes of disability worldwide, and people with psychotic disorders have a 15-year shorter life expectancy. Efforts to address the public health impacts of psychotic disorders in Canada are hindered by a lack of population-based data.

As the Canada Research Chair in Public Mental Health Research, Dr. Kelly Anderson is studying mental disorders using databases from the health care system to better understand the distribution of mental disorders across the population, as well as patterns of health service use by people with psychotic disorders, which include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and psychotic depression.

The Public Mental Health Research Group – which includes a team of graduate students and research assistants – is identifying high risk groups for the onset of psychotic disorders, such as newcomers, homeless populations, and those living in deprived areas. We are exploring the geographic distribution of psychotic disorders and the role of novel environmental factors on risk. We are also studying other important public health targets, including the physical health outcomes after a first diagnosis of psychotic disorder, and the impact of the legalization of cannabis on the incidence of psychotic disorders. Finally, our team is working to improve access to care for young people with psychotic disorders, studying disparities in utilization of mental health services for different population groups.

Addressing the substantial societal impacts of psychotic disorders requires robust population-based evidence. The work of the Public Mental Health Research Group gives us a possible lens to further understand the causes of psychosis – if we can understand why some groups have lower rates and others have higher rates within the same country, we may be able to better understand how social, cultural, and biological factors interact to alter the course of illness.  This work will advance public health approaches to psychotic disorders in Canada.

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