Hospital Douglas

Description

Mission
A University Institute in mental health the Douglas is affiliated with McGill University and the World Health Organization It is an international leader in care research and teaching in mental health

It provides specialized and superspecialized services within a continuum of care together with firstline partners

It contributes to destigmatizing mental illness in keeping with prevention and recovery principles

It contributes to the advancement of knowledge and best practices through stateoftheart research and teaching

It is renowned for innovation multiculturalism and bilingualism The Hospital reflects humanism and openness and can count on solid philanthropic support Founded by the Montreal community it has a proud collaborative tradition with numerous partners

Our Values
The Douglas values excellence and innovation based on commitment collaboration and education

Excellence To apply best practices with rigor

Innovation To be a stimulating and dynamic environment where new knowledge is developed to improve understanding and care

Commitment To be dedicated to achieving our mission

Collaboration To work within interdisciplinary teams and with internal community university and international partners

Education To be a learning organization that values its human resources and evolves through knowledge exchange and continued education

History

Overview
Founded in 1881 by Alfred Perry and a group of Protestant clergy and Montreacuteal citizens the Douglas Hospital was named the Protestant Hospital for the Insane and was intended to be the most progressive mental health institution in Quebec Since its debut the Hospital has had to continually depend on the communitys support to secure its development Because it was not administered by a religious organization as was the case for most French hospitals it had to depend even more on public generosity and on volunteers This culture of openness and partnership with the community has allowed us to successfully implement various community reintegration initiatives

In 1946 the Hospital became affiliated with McGill University Its training programs are recognized and continue to welcome increasing numbers of students in all disciplines related to mental health psychiatry nursing psychology occupational therapy etc

In the 1950s a revolutionary breakthrough in mental health treatment and research was made by Douglas psychiatrist Heinz Lehmann MD who introduced antipsychotic medications to North America Thanks to these medications many patients until then considered incurable were able to regain an active life in society This development also gave rise to the creation of less restrictive approaches and triggered deinstitutionalization in the mid1960s

In 1965 the Hospital was named the Douglas Hospital in honour of James Douglas MD a major figure in psychiatry and his family who made generous donations to the Hospital during its fiscallychallenging early years

In 1967 the Douglas Hospital became the first psychiatric institution in Canada to receive accreditation by the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation in recognition of the quality of its services During that period the Hospital became increasingly committed to understanding the brains biological mechanisms in order to explain the causes of major mental illnesses A leader in the field of mental health research the Douglas Hospital Research Centre was officially created in 1979 and now has an increasingly international reputation It became a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in 1982

Today the Douglas is a worldclass University Institute in Mental Health caring for people suffering from mental illnesses and offering them the hope of a cure Its team of researchers and clinicians is continually increasing scientific knowledge integrating findings into patient care and sharing them with the greater community in order to reduce stigma