PINT OF SCIENCE
FESTIVAL
It’s Not Simply “All In The Mind”: Cluing Into Mental Illness
It has been estimated that about 1 in 8 people in Singapore will have a mental disorder. Despite this relatively high prevalence, mental illness continues to be stigmatised and misunderstood by many people. One example of this is the well-meaning but unhelpful phrase “It’s all in your mind”, often given to individuals struggling with mental illness. However, emerging research shows just how inaccurate this phrase is, demonstrating that people with mental illness have brain changes in contrast to healthy people. In this evening, we will find out how latest research findings are changing the way doctors and researchers tackle various mental disorders.
Tuesday 21 May - Doors open at 6.30pm - Event starts at 7.00pm
The Pit - 21 Lor Liput, Singapore 277733
Judy Sng
Senior Lecturer, Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore
Is there a relationship between epigenetics, medications, nutrition and mental health?
Many aspects of human development and disease are influenced by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Understanding how our genes respond to the environment is central to managing health and disease, and is one of the major contemporary challenges in human genetics. In this talk, I will present what are the theories of dietary supplementation and the influence of anti-psychotic and –depressant drugs that might influence the outcome of psychiatric disorders
Sim Kang
Adjunct Associate Professor, Institute of Mental Health
I can hear you, can you hear me? Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia are potentially disabling psychiatric conditions that exact a toll on the sufferers as well as their caregivers. This talk will cover the symptoms and subtypes of psychosis, as well as highlight the underlying brain changes involved. The talk seeks to highlight the fact that 1) psychosis is a condition of the brain and not just in the mind, 2) that there are underlying neural substrates involved in the disorder, and that 3) treatments are available to ameliorate the condition.