Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program

The biological revolution in psychiatry that took place during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s laid the foundations for the contemporary mainstream view that severe mental disorders are disorders of the brain and the genes. Over the last forty years, however, a parallel body of research has repeatedly shown that the most significant risk factors for schizophrenia are social. Childhood trauma, urban living, and, most remarkably, immigration have repeatedly been associated with increased rates of schizophrenia in a number of countries around the world. This research is particularly relevant to the Montreal community, as Montreal is the multicultural home to hundreds of thousands of immigrants and is a bustling metropolitan region. Through this Café Scientifique, this research will become known to members of the public who have an interest in psychosis.