The Psychology Behind The Movie The Shawshank Redemption

Mar 26, 2021

You can also listen to this interview on a free app on iTunes and Google Play Store entitled 'Raj Persaud in conversation', which includes a lot of free information on the latest research findings in psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience and mental health, plus interviews with top experts from around the world. Download it free from these links. Don't forget to check out the bonus content button on the app.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rajpersaud.android.rajpersaud

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dr-raj-persaud-in-conversation/id927466223?

I guess it comes down to a simple choice,
really. Get busy living or get busy dying.
– Andy, The Shawshank Redemption

Dr Mark Sinyor

 

Appointments and Affiliations:

• Associate scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Staff psychiatrist, mood and anxiety disorders program, department of psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Assistant professor, department of psychiatry, U of T

Research Foci:

• Suicide prevention
• Mood and anxiety disorders
• Placebos and expectation effects
• Randomized controlled trial design
• Public health

Research Summary:

The focus of Dr. Sinyor's research is in two areas within the field of mood disorders.

Suicide is a leading cause of premature death around the world and the second most common cause of death in young people in Canada after accidents. Dr. Sinyor is one of the founding members of PROGRESS (Program of Research and Education to Stop Suicide) at Sunnybrook. He is using coroner's records and other data sources to examine thousands of suicides that have occurred in Toronto and more broadly in Ontario to understand suicide better and to inform future efforts in suicide prevention. He is also conducting clinical trials that aim to prevent suicide in hospitalized patients.

There is growing evidence that expectations and the placebo effect have an important, under-recognized impact on mood and anxiety disorders both clinically and in research trials. Dr. Sinyor is working in this emerging field to understand how these factors influence outcomes and whether there are avenues to optimize expectations to improve patient care.