Our Community Education initiatives are made up of the following:

Teen Health Centres

Teen Health Centres in four high schools provide community-based education to young people and families, as well as advice, assessment, and treatment in relation to healthy lifestyles and the early detection and management of physical and mental difficulties.

Mental Illness Awareness Week

This national campaign to de-stigmatize mental illness is conducted every fall by the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) in partnership with the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, the Depression and Manic Depression Society of Canada, and the Canadian Mental Health Association. Dalhousie plays a key role locally, organizing a school campaign, an e-mail campaign, depression screening clinics in public places, and information booths and public forums at the QEII. In 1997, Dalhousie Psychiatry received a special recognition award from the CPA for its outstanding contributions to mental illness awareness.

Mental Health Week

Dalhousie Psychiatry is actively involved in Mental Health Week, a campaign held every spring by the Canadian Mental Health Association to educate the public about factors influencing mental health, including good nutrition, adequate sleep, and stress reduction. Posters, banners, information booths, and talks at schools are some of the activities organized by Dalhousie Psychiatry.

Open Roads to Mental Health School Program

Dalhousie Psychiatry is collaborating with the Canadian Mental Health Association to develop a mental health education curriculum for secondary schools, to increase awareness of psychiatric illness, reduce stigma, and encourage young people to seek help.

Early Psychosis School Initiative

The Nova Scotia Hospital's Research and Community Education Group hosts information sessions for secondary school teachers and guidance counsellors to increase awareness of the importance of early detection and intervention in the treatment of psychotic disorders in young people.