Anonymous donor gives $100M to Canada's largest mental health hospital

Canada's largest mental health hospital has been awarded $ 100 million by an anonymous donor to develop treatments for psychological conditions affecting some 7 million Canadians.

The gift to the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto will create a discovery fund to support the next generation of scientists who are conducting research aimed at transforming care directly.

"The funds will be invested in basic research and clinical innovation to improve the mental health of individuals in Canada and around the world," said CAMH President and Chief Executive Dr. Catherine Zahn.

Zahn says the fund will allow CAMH to develop the next generation of senior scientists early and mid-career.

The funds will also allow the promotion of research focusing on understanding disease mechanisms, improving diagnosis and new ways to predict, prevent and recover from mental illness.

Darrell Louise Gregersen president of the CAMH Foundation, says such philanthropy helps change the future of mental illness.

"We are eternally grateful to this giver to invest $ 100 million in our ability to generate world-leading discovery, invest in some high-risk research, and a high reward that usually does not get the highest funding priority," she says.