Help us build a world where mental health and physical health are treated equally.
Every day, we devote our energy to accelerating the integration of technology and adopting innovative, non-pharmacological approaches to prevent and treat mental health disorders.
Get involved
News
Launch of the iSMART application: control your chronic stress!
iSMART, the new mobile application that provides a concentrated therapy experience.
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Cocktail conferences: Game and digital intelligence to learn, create and adapt
Series of 3 cocktail conferences on the theme of games and digital intelligence to learn, create and adapt| March 17 to April 16, 2020
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Invitation to submit an article - Santé mentale au Québec
Researchers from the Montreal University Mental Health Institute Research Center are invited to contribute, as authors, to the publication of a special issue about new technologies in mental health for the Revue Santé mentale au Québec, directed by the Axel Center. This is …
+A reality that affects us all
Mental health disorders impact the entire population:
6 million
Canadians will suffer from mood disorders during their lifetime, and just half will consult a specialist.
51 billion
dollars are spent annually on mental health issues in Canada, including workplace productivity losses.
700,000
people visit emergency rooms each year with mental health problems.
4.4 %
of the global population is affected by depression, the world’s leading cause of disability.
We believe that traditional approaches to mental health can be revolutionized.
Innovative treatments
Axel is accelerating the integration of technology to create effective solutions that make it easier to detect and manage mental health issues.
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS
CONCRETE SOLUTIONS
NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL APPROACHES
VALIDATION AND DISTRIBUTION
Support
Montréal Declaration Responsible AI
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS
CONCRETE SOLUTIONS
NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL APPROACHES
VALIDATION AND DISTRIBUTION
Support
Montréal Declaration Responsible AI
Our work has already made big impacts
The projects we’ve developed generate concrete results that encourage us every day to further our research.
Telepsychotherapy
Telepsychotherapy allows patients to receive effective psychotherapeutic treatments when they don’t have access to specialized professionals.
STRONGER THAN BULLYING
This mobile application provides support to youth who’ve been affected by bullying, giving them information and strategies to deal with the situation.
Avatars and virtual reality
This treatment method is promising to mitigate the impact of auditory hallucinations on schizophrenic patients who are resistant to the usual therapies.
iSMART
The app was developed by mental health researchers to aid people in managing chronic stress.
Our team
The Axel Center consists of a co-management and an advisory committee.
The Chairs
The management of the Centre Axel is jointly assumed by the Research Director of CR-IUSMM, Dr. Stéphane Guay and a CR-IUSMM researcher, Dr. Isabelle Ouellet-Morin.
Stéphane Guay Co-director, Centre Axel
Isabelle Ouellet-Morin Co-director, Centre Axel
Advisory Committee
To be sure that the strategic orientations of the Centre Axel are consistent with the realities of the different members of the ecosystem, an Advisory Committee guides the main orientations of the Centre Axel.
Jonathan Brière
Jérôme Dussault
Ted Hill
Paul L’Espérance
Thi Be Nguyen
Luc Sirois
Make a real difference
We believe that technology can play a major role in helping people accept mental health issues and making treatment more accessible and effective. Many challenges lay ahead still and we need your help to go further. To learn more about fund governance, visit the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal Foundation website.