Contributing to the excellence of mental health and addictions research in British Columbia

Up-to-Date II: Substance Use Trends and Policy Responses in BC

This symposium provided policy makers, service providers, researchers and the general public with the latest information on substance use trends and policy responses in BC.

To view the program, click here.

Speaker Presentation Videos - Available Online

Speaker presentation videos and PDFs of PowerPoint presentations are now available online.

Clinical Neurosciences 2010: Urban Psychiatry

April 16, 2010
Vancouver, BC

The presentation of the person with serious mental illness in an urban setting can be very challenging. Often a person's mental illness is complicated by other psychiatric problems such as comorbid substance abuse and mood disorders. The use of street drugs can lead to HIV and other viral infections that compromise a patient's medical wellbeing. In addition to these medical and psychiatric problems social factors such as poverty and homelessness can compound a person's ability to access appropriate health care. The goal of this conference is to help untangle the difficult task of identifying a patient's primary diagnoses, help identify the most effective treatments and help put the patient's health problems into perspective within the complex urban social setting. A wide range of distinguished speakers are featured, whose collective knowledge will facilitate a better understanding of this complex and challenging population.

For more information click here.

18th Annual David Berman Memorial Concurrent Disorders Conference

May 17-19, 2010
Vancouver, BC

This conference aims to inspire and support individuals to work with people with concurrent disorders by providing evidence-supported skills and strategies, highlighting latest research and resources related to concurrent disorders, and promoting networking and the sharing of information and perspectives.

Please click here to view the program brochure. Please click here to register.

Recent News

December 9, 2009 | Media Release

HST and Booze: UVic report calls on BC to use HST as an opportunity to reduce spiralling alcohol-related deaths

A new report commissioned by the Network's Alcohol and Other Drug Monitoring Hub suggests that BC's introduction of the harmonized sales tax (HST) provides a golden opportunity to reverse recent increases in alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations. To read the full Media Release, click here. To view statistics on alcohol-related harms in BC, click here. To view the full policy brief, entitled "Alcohol Pricing, Public Health and the HST: Proposed Incentives for BC Drinkers to Make Healthy Choices", click here.

December 8, 2009 | Media Release

More drinking, more drugs, more harm: BC Research Reveals Alcohol and Substance Use Trends

BC residents are drinking more these days - in fact, BC's per capita alcohol consumption is rising at a faster rate than in the rest of Canada. There is also evidence of increasing use and availability of crack cocaine, ecstasy and prescription medications in BC. On the flip side, fewer British Columbians appear to be using marijuana and methamphetamine (crystal meth) while adolescents are drinking and smoking less. These are just some of the findings coming out of the Network's Alcohol and Other Drug Monitoring Hub located at the University of Victoria's Centre for Addictions Research (CARBC). To read the full Media Release, click here.