About the discussion
Tuesday, November 24, 7 to 9 p.m.
Guests: Michel Dugas, Adam Radomsky
Moderator: Gaby Szabo
Venue: Le Depanneur Café, 206 Bernard Ouest (@ Jeanne-Mance)
What is worry? What is obsession? In the face of an uncertain world, most people experience these types of intrusive thoughts. While experiencing worries and obsessions is a normal part of life, these thoughts can become excessive and lead to significant distress. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are characterized by disturbing worries and obsessions respectively, and are more prevalent than may be commonly believed. Treatments for these anxiety disorders have traditionally focused on pharmacological approaches or general relaxation techniques. In this Café Scientifque-style conversation we will hear from researchers working on this issue and discuss when worry and anxiety are simply worry and anxiety and take a look at promising new treatment approaches, intended to help people with GAD and OCD get better and stay better.
Guests:
Adam Radomsky is associate professor of Psychology and the director of the Applied Psychology Centre at Concordia University. His research focuses on understanding cognition and behaviour in association with a broad range of anxiety disorders, with an emphasis on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In addition to his research, Adam maintains a small private practice specializing in cognitive-behaviour therapy for anxiety disorders.
Michel Dugas is professor of Psychology and director of Clinical Training at Concordia University. Over the past 15 years, Michel has conducted research on the cause and treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). His research programme has led to the development of a psychological treatment for GAD, which is now being used in health care settings in numerous countries.
Moderator:
Gaby Szabo is a health promotion specialist at Concordia University Health Services. She continues her learning through the University of Alberta School of Public Health, and works with youth through Emmaus Church. Gaby believes that every level of our community must work together to make the healthy choice the easy choice.