
Scoping review highlights (urgent) need for interventions addressing youth opioid use
The EHT research team from across Canada are delighted to share the results of a scoping review published on May 9th, 2022 in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. The review showed that research on treatment for youth and young adults remains sparse and more focus is needed on interventions that address the unique social contexts of use for this population, including treatments that focus on women/females and gender diverse youth.

"How to Advocate for Mental Health Research" - A panel discussion from the Society for Neuroscience
Dr. Patricia Conrod participated in the Society for Neuroscience's panel discussion on "How to Advocate for Mental Health Research". The aim was to present ways the media and the neuroscience community can work together to advocate for continued foundational mental health research. Dr. Conrod's extensive experience working with the media contributed to a rich and varied discussion with leaders in the field of mental health.

Feasibility Assessment of UniVenture Presented at the CCSA’s Issues of Substance 2021
Marion Audet and Nora Fripp have presented their pilot results at the CCSA’s Issues of Substance Conference 2021. Their presentation looked to identify the feasibility of the UniVenture Program and highlighted the importance of developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant adaptations. Click on the image to view all of the presentations within the Issues of Substance Conference 2021

UniVenture Awarded $2.5 million SSHRC Grant
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) has awarded Partnership Grants of CAD$2.5 million for 5-year multi-site study titled “UniVenture: A Partnership to Address Heavy Drinking and Other Substance Misuse on Canadian University Campuses”

Let’s talk about upstream mental health promotion and prevention!
During these challenging times, it is more important than ever to prioritize the mental health of young people. The CUSP Trial team is proud to be partnering with high schools across the country to deliver and evaluate PreVenture, an evidence-based mental health promotion and substance use prevention program. Click here to visit our website and learn more!

What's in your Mental Health Toolbox?
Learning how to channel your unique traits towards achieving your personal goals, contributes to positive mental health. Programs that build cognitive behavioural skills relevant to your personality style can help prevent mental health problems. Let's talk about preventative mental health www.preventure.ca #BellLetsTalk #chusaintejustine #conrodventurelab #mentalhealth #earlyintervention #universitedemontreal #UdeM #evidencebasedprevention

The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory - Protecting Youth Mental Health
The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that young people are facing "devastating" mental health effects as a result of the challenges experienced by their generation. This comes on the heels of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children's Hospital Association's declaration of a "national emergency" in youth mental health. The Surgeon General has called on funders and foundations to scale up evidence-based interventions.

Symposium: Research related to medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for people with mental illness
The FRQS Quebec Network on Suicide, Mood Disorders and Related Conditions (RQSHA), in partnership with the Pragmatic Health Ethics Research Unit and The Montreal Health Ethics Conference Series (Montreal Clinical Research Institute) will host a knowledge exchange event focusing on current knowledge on the legal, ethical, psychosocial and neurobiological findings relevant to the debate on medical assistance in dying for people living with mental illness. Date: October 27th from 1:00-3:00 pm

Dr. Conrod interviewed on CBC's The Current with WSJ journalist Jeff Horwitz, who reported on how Facebook plays down findings on social media and teen mental health
A recent Wall Street Journal investigation revealed that Facebook has known for years that Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, damages teens' mental health. We talk to Wall Street Journal technology reporter Jeff Horwitz about what he found, and discuss what safeguards are needed with Dr. Patricia Conrod, a neurodevelopmental researcher at Sainte-Justine children's hospital, and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal.

Dr. Jeremy J Watts awarded the 2020 CIHR-INMHA Brain Star Award
Dr. Jeremy Watts, a post-doctoral fellow working with Dr. Patricia Conrod and Dr. Stéphane Potvin has been awarded the 2020 Brain Star Award. His research suggests a link between the brain’s endocannabinoid neurotransmitter system and positive psychotic symptoms experienced by patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Personality to Prescription Drug Misuse in Adolescents: Testing Affect Regulation, Psychological Dysregulation, and Deviance Proneness Pathways
Fifteen to 25-year-olds are the age group most likely to misuse prescription drugs. Few studies have tested theory-driven models of adolescent risk for prescription drug misuse. Moreover, rarely are distinct pathways to different forms of prescription drug misuse considered.

Dr. Patricia Conrod and Dr. Gregory Lodygensky awarded $7.1 million infrastructure grant for state-of-the-art multimodal pediatric neuroimaging facilities at CHU Ste Justine
Dr. Patricia Conrod and Dr. Gregory Lodygensky at CHU Sainte-Justine, has been awarded $7.1 million in funding as part of the 2020 competition of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Innovation Fund. This funding confirms the global leadership of CHU Sainte-Justine's researchers in the advancement of knowledge on neurodevelopmental disorders.

Emerging Health Threat presents to Health Canada's "Opioid Response Partners" (ORP) Network - Youth-identified Solutions to the Opioid Overdose Crisis for Healthcare Providers
The EHT team presented to the Canadian Opioid Response Partners network, a pan-Canadian network of healthcare providers including, pharmacists, doctors, physiotherapists, frontline workers, public health workers and individuals with lived experience. They shared preliminary results from their cross-site qualitative analyses of focus groups and interviews with over 130 youth across Canada regarding solutions and suggestions for how to improve opioid-related service provision for young people.

Prévenir le suicide pendant la pandémie de la COVID-19
De nombreux experts craignent une hausse des taux de suicide liée au contexte de la pandémie COVID-19. Découvrez ce nouvel édito rédigé par Marie-Claude Geoffroy, Ph. D., Massimiliano Orri, Ph.D., Patricia Conrod, Ph. D. et Naguib Mechawar, Ph. D., Direction du RQSHA. Les auteurs discutent de la problématique du suicide pendant la pandémie et de la nécessité de mettre en place des mécanismes de protection et des actions préventives pour limiter les conséquences à moyen et long terme.

On the Mic with Mike #6: Dr. Patricia Conrod on the developing adolescent brain
Dr. Patricia Conrod was recently featured in the CIHR's On the Mic with Mike series. Watch Dr. Conrod sit down with CIHR President Dr. Michael Strong to discuss her research on the developing adolescent brain, with a particular focus on the impact of the early use of cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco.

Participez à un sondage dans le cadre du projet de recherche UniVenture
Étudiants de premier cycle universitaire de l'UdeM dont l'âge est compris entre 18 et 24 ans. Nous souhaitons solliciter votre participation pour le projet de recherche UniVenture qui a pour objectif d'adapter un programme de mieux-être aux besoins et à la réalité de la population étudiante de l'UdeM.

Sensation Seeking Predicts Crash Risk in Young Drivers

L’usage du cannabis à l’adolescence affecte davantage le cerveau des filles que celui des garçons
Une étude menée auprès de plus de 3800 élèves du secondaire du grand Montréal révèle que l’usage du cannabis altère davantage la mémoire de travail chez les filles que chez les garçons.

Opinion: Stop shaming and blaming youth for COVID-19 | Montreal Gazette
Congrats to Stephanie Nairn for publishing her letter to the editor of the Montreal Gazette on Blaming and shaming young people for CoVID..

Personality traits that put teens at risk for substance use and a program that helps with Dr. Patricia Conrod
Dr. Patricia Conrod was a recent guest on the Hopestream Podcast. Listen to this fascinating conversation in which Dr. Conrod discusses...

Association between cognitive biases and psychotic-like experiences: a systematic review and a meta-analysis
A new study has identified several major cognitive biases that are associated with psychotic-like experiences. Dr Patricia Conrod and her...
Become a Certified PreVenture Facilitator - September 23 to 25, 2020 - Registration Now Open
Become a PreVenture Facilitator and bring this evidence-based prevention program to the youth in your community. Over 3-days learn how to...

Two Data Sets Are Better Than One
The use of large data sets in addiction research is welcome, because statistical power is increased. When applied to large data sets...

Participez à notre projet de recherche NurtriVenture / Participate in our NutriVenture Research Project
On vous invite à participer à un projet de recherche pour développer une intervention auprès d’adolescents avec des traits de personnalité..

Instagram starting to cut most addictive feature, and it could have consequences for teens' mental health
Instagram announced it was "running a test" on some users, a couple months after rumors first emerged that the photo-sharing platform was...

Preventing Substance Use Among Indigenous Adolescents in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: a Systematic Review of the Literature
This systematic review assessed the current evidence base of substance use prevention programs for Indigenous adolescents in the USA...

A Review of Personality-Targeted Interventions for Prevention of Substance Misuse and Related Harm in Community Samples of Adolescents
Several school-based prevention programmes have been developed and used to prevent, delay, or reduce substance misuse, and related...

Smoking strong pot daily raises psychosis risk
Smoking high-potency marijuana every day could increase the chances of developing psychosis by nearly five times, according to the...

Effects of delaying binge drinking on adolescent brain development: a longitudinal neuroimaging study
Onset of alcohol use by 14 relative to 21 years of age strongly predicts elevated risk for severe alcohol use problems, with 27% versus 4%..

The influence of affective and cognitive attitudes on adolescents’ intention to engage in binge drinking
Previous work has revealed that interventions aiming to reduce adolescent binge drinking commonly focus on cognitive attitudes, but are...