Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Encyclopedia
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is a consortium of mental health
clinics at several sites in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. Its name in French is Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale. (The acronym CAMH is most commonly pronounced "Cam-H".)
Among the focuses of the organization are the assessment and treatment of schizophrenia
, mood
& anxiety disorder
s, and personality disorder
s. There is also a focus on addictions
to alcohol, drugs, and problem gambling at the former ARF site. CAMH also has a Law and Mental Health Programme (forensic psychiatry
and forensic psychology
) and is a major research centre.
CAMH is a teaching hospital
with central facilities located in Toronto
and 26 community locations throughout the province of Ontario
. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto
and is a Pan American Health Organization
and World Health Organization
Collaborating Centre.
In October 2008, CAMH was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers
" by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's
newsmagazine. Later that month, CAMH was also named one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers
, which was announced by the Toronto Star
newspaper. CAMH was the recipient of the Greater Toronto Top Employer Award in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and in 2010 won as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers.
, a pioneer in mental health in Canada.
Much of their work focuses on forensic psychology
and research designed to shape public policy
.
The former Clarke Institute building is now referred to as the College St. site of CAMH.
, was hired by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario
in 1949. His mandate was to determine the scope of alcoholism in Ontario. He was named executive director when ARF opened and remained in that post until 1976. Focusing initially on outpatient treatment, their first facility was Brookside Hospital in 1951, expanding to branch offices and new locations in 1954, the same year they set up in-house research. In 1961, they expanded their mission to include drugs, Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Research Foundation. In 1971, they expanded to a clinical teaching hospital called the Clinical Research and Treatment Institute. In 1978 ARF opened the School for Addiction Studies and expanded their international role in policy rdevelopment and research. Following ongoing recession in the 1990s, ARF was folded in 1998 into CAMH.
Reforms were made after a series of deaths at the Queen Street Mental Health Centre and newspaper accounts of involuntary drug treatment, electroshock therapy and prison-like conditions.
1) Deliver a new model of care and provide a healthy environment that promotes recovery;
2) Bring together the best research, clinical, education, health promotion, and policy experts in one place to change the future of mental health and addictions;
3) Revitalize the City of Toronto by opening up their site and by creating an inclusive new nine-block neighbourhood that benefits all and,
4) Change attitudes by breaking down barriers to eliminate the stigma of mental health.
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
clinics at several sites in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Its name in French is Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale. (The acronym CAMH is most commonly pronounced "Cam-H".)
Among the focuses of the organization are the assessment and treatment of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, mood
Mood disorder
Mood disorder is the term designating a group of diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification system where a disturbance in the person's mood is hypothesized to be the main underlying feature...
& anxiety disorder
Anxiety disorder
Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering several different forms of abnormal and pathological fear and anxiety. Conditions now considered anxiety disorders only came under the aegis of psychiatry at the end of the 19th century. Gelder, Mayou & Geddes explains that anxiety disorders are...
s, and personality disorder
Personality disorder
Personality disorders, formerly referred to as character disorders, are a class of personality types and behaviors. Personality disorders are noted on Axis II of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-IV-TR of the American Psychiatric Association.Personality disorders are...
s. There is also a focus on addictions
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
to alcohol, drugs, and problem gambling at the former ARF site. CAMH also has a Law and Mental Health Programme (forensic psychiatry
Forensic psychiatry
Forensic psychiatry is a sub-speciality of psychiatry and an auxiliar science of criminology. It encompasses the interface between law and psychiatry...
and forensic psychology
Forensic psychology
Forensic psychology is the intersection between psychology and the criminal justice system. It involves understanding criminal law in the relevant jurisdictions in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges, attorneys and other legal professionals...
) and is a major research centre.
CAMH is a teaching hospital
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
with central facilities located in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and 26 community locations throughout the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and is a Pan American Health Organization
Pan American Health Organization
The Pan American Health Organization is an international public health agency with over 100 years of experience working to improve health and living standards of the people of the Americas...
and World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
Collaborating Centre.
In October 2008, CAMH was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers
Canada's Top 100 Employers
Canada's Top 100 Employers is an annual competition that recognizes the best places in Canada to work. First held in 1999, the project aims to single out the employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional working conditions and progressive human resources policies. Winners are...
" by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
newsmagazine. Later that month, CAMH was also named one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers
Greater Toronto's Top Employers
Greater Toronto's Top Employers is an annual competition that recognizes the best places to work in the Greater Toronto Area...
, which was announced by the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
newspaper. CAMH was the recipient of the Greater Toronto Top Employer Award in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and in 2010 won as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers.
Facilities
CAMH was formed in 1998 as a result of the merger of the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, the Addiction Research Foundation, the Donwood Institute and Queen Street Mental Health Centre.Clarke Institute of Psychiatry
The hospital was founded in 1966 and named the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, after Charles Kirk ClarkeCharles Kirk Clarke
Charles Kirk Clarke was a psychiatrist who was influential in Canadian politics.-Career:He graduated from University of Toronto in 1879 and went on to found the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene in 1914 with Dr...
, a pioneer in mental health in Canada.
Much of their work focuses on forensic psychology
Forensic psychology
Forensic psychology is the intersection between psychology and the criminal justice system. It involves understanding criminal law in the relevant jurisdictions in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges, attorneys and other legal professionals...
and research designed to shape public policy
Policy
A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...
.
The former Clarke Institute building is now referred to as the College St. site of CAMH.
Addiction Research Foundation
ARF was founded in 1949. H. David Archibald, who had studied at the School of Alcohol Studies at Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, was hired by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario
Liquor Control Board of Ontario
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario is a provincial Crown corporation in Ontario, Canada established in 1927 by Lieutenant Governor William Donald Ross, on the advice of his Premier, Howard Ferguson, to sell liquor, wine, and beer through a chain of retail stores...
in 1949. His mandate was to determine the scope of alcoholism in Ontario. He was named executive director when ARF opened and remained in that post until 1976. Focusing initially on outpatient treatment, their first facility was Brookside Hospital in 1951, expanding to branch offices and new locations in 1954, the same year they set up in-house research. In 1961, they expanded their mission to include drugs, Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Research Foundation. In 1971, they expanded to a clinical teaching hospital called the Clinical Research and Treatment Institute. In 1978 ARF opened the School for Addiction Studies and expanded their international role in policy rdevelopment and research. Following ongoing recession in the 1990s, ARF was folded in 1998 into CAMH.
Donwood Institute
Beginning in 1967, it had 47 beds and a 4-month waiting list in the 1980s. Focusing on substance abuse, boasted a 65% recovery rate for general population and an 85% recovery rate for physicians.Queen Street Mental Health Centre
This facility stands on what was once called the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, which opened on January 26, 1850. The facility had a series of names including the Toronto Lunatic Asylum and 999 Queen Street West.Reforms were made after a series of deaths at the Queen Street Mental Health Centre and newspaper accounts of involuntary drug treatment, electroshock therapy and prison-like conditions.
CAMH Redevelopment
CAMH has been undergoing a 3 phase redevelopment plan which aims to accomplish 4 goals:1) Deliver a new model of care and provide a healthy environment that promotes recovery;
2) Bring together the best research, clinical, education, health promotion, and policy experts in one place to change the future of mental health and addictions;
3) Revitalize the City of Toronto by opening up their site and by creating an inclusive new nine-block neighbourhood that benefits all and,
4) Change attitudes by breaking down barriers to eliminate the stigma of mental health.