12:15pm ET | Dr. Robert Levitan, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

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GUEST – Dr. Robert Levitan, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

TOPIC – Seasonal Affective Disorder

INFO – Dr. Robert Levitan is a Senior Scientist and Research Section Head at CAMH. He is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and a full member of the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto.

Areas of Research – Dr. Levitan is an expert on atypical subtypes of mood disorders characterized by depressed mood and increased eating behavior, including atypical depression, chronic depression, seasonal affective disorder, and eating disorders such as binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa. In many cases, these various disorders co-exist in the same individual, suggesting that one or more vulnerability factors are shared among them. Dr. Levitan integrates clinical research in adults with atypical depression with developmental research focused on the early origins of disease. This includes both genetic association studies and novel methodologies emerging from the rapidly evolving field of socio-biology, which focuses on the interplay of nature and nurture. A better understanding of the complexity inherent in these disorders will lead to new prevention strategies and treatment approaches.