The Faculty of Medical Sciences, Mt. Hope will host the Professorial Inaugural Lecture by Professor Gerard Hutchinson on Thursday 1st May, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. at Amphitheatre A, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.His lecture is titled, "Migration and Madness: Genes vs. Geography".
The following is the abstract:
Migration is the social phenomenon that best defines the modern history of the Caribbean. However, migration is also associated with increased rates of mental illness and the dissection of this association allows for an understanding of how genes and geography relate to provide the mechanisms for adaptation to your environment or maladaptive behaviour. Are your genes your destiny or can it be overcome by your environment? How does this potential environmental influence act – through broad societal and cultural elements or through individual and personal experience? These questions will be explored through the analysis of serious mental illness in the Caribbean and its diaspora with particular reference to psychosis and suicidal behaviour and the consequent implications for mental health and society.
