Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Upcoming Classes and Seminars

In the Fall of every year there are a new batch of classes related to schizophrenia and mental illness - offered around the country (US, Canada, etc.). We encourage you to find one that is close to you and sign up to learn more.

Top among the classes offered are the NAMI Family to Family courses - that every family member should try to take if they can. Contact your local NAMI office (see our list of support groups) - and in Canada I understand that they have also started offering the Family to Family class via the Schizophrenia Society - so definitely check them out.

Support Groups - Contact List

Other regional areas also have university continuing education classes that are frequently excellent. For example - Stanford University (near San Francisco, California) offers the following class on October 15, 2005 (Cost, if I remember correctly, is about $75 for the one-day seminar):

When Someone You Love is Mentally Ill (PSY 193)
Mental illnesses are a challenge, not just for those who carry the diagnosis, but for their friends and family as well. If someone close to you suffers from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression or another serious psychiatric condition, the illness affects your life too. This three-hour workshop will include information on the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions, but the main focus will be on how they affect relationships. We will discuss how mental illness can change someone's ability to interact with others, and various strategies for coping. Specific topics will include adherence to treatment, how to consider whether hospitalization is indicated, dealing with drug and alcohol abuse, and legal ramifications for the family.

Rona Hu
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University
Rona Hu received her MD and psychiatric training from UC San Francisco, followed by fellowships at the National Institutes of Health in pharmacology, neuroscience and clinical schizophrenia research. She joined the Stanford faculty in 1998. Her honors include the Julius R. Krevans Award for Clinical Excellence at UCSF, the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence, and awards from the American Psychiatric Association, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the West Coast College of Biological Psychiatry.

To Sign up go to: When Someone You Love is Mentally Ill (PSY 193) and click on the "Add to Cart" section of the page on the right hand side.

Stanford, like many universities, also has a "Grand Rounds" series of medical talks each year that is open to the public (though it is targeted at medical school students and faculty). In the coming months, some interesting topics include:

"PSYCHIATRY GRAND ROUNDS: Social Neuroscience: A New Basic Science for Psychiatry"
Date: Thu., 29-Sep-2005
Time: 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
Location: 401 Quarry Road, Room 2209
Department: Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Presenter[s]: Thomas R. Insel, MD
Director, National Institute of Mental Health
More Info: http://psychiatry.stanford.edu/grand_rounds.html

October 13: "CHILD PSYCHIATRY GRAND ROUNDS - TBA"
Hans Steiner, MD
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Development , Stanford University

For the full list of Stanford University Grand Rounds see:

Full List of Stanford University Medical Seminars

As we come across other university courses available for families of the mentally ill to attend, we'll let you know.