"Ongoing research indicates that mental illness is associated with the brain's structure, chemistry and function, and that mental illness indeed has a biological basis," says Janine Roos.

Roos is the director of the Mental Health Information Centre of South Africa (MHIC). The MHIC is an important component of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Unit of the universities of Stellenbosch and Cape Town, which is attached to the Medical Research Council.

She recently received a grant from the International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) to host workshops at high school, undergraduate and postgraduate level during Brain Awareness Week in March next year.

"There is a need to increase awareness of research in psychiatry, and also to recruit scientists to work in this fast-growing and interesting field of study," she explains.

Roos says, in recent years, modern neuro-imaging research has led to tremendous advances in the understanding of the human brain and how it is affected by disease processes. "Studies being conducted at the Stellenbosch University (SU) Department of Psychiatry examine mental illnesses that are highly prevalent in our own and other low to middle-income settings. These include research on the impact of HIV on brain function, methamphetamine ('tik') abuse and its associated volumetric brain changes in schizophrenia, as well as the functional neuro-correlates of post-traumatic stress disorder," she says. "This highlights the importance of advocacy for and further training in neuro-imaging research in the South African context to advance our knowledge in this field."

The MHIC has partnered with Dr Stefan du Plessis, a researcher/clinician at the SU Department of Psychiatry, to specifically address the lack of expertise in neuro-imaging in South Africa.

"Firstly, we plan on doing presentations at high schools to introduce the basic concepts of mental illness, as well as the advances in neuro-imaging research that are contributing to our understanding of these diseases.

"Secondly, in collaboration with Du Plessis and his colleagues from the University of Utrecht, we will be introducing the basic concepts of neuro-imaging and processing at undergraduate level in a series of workshops, including presentations on neuropsychology, neuropsychiatry and neuro-imaging.

"Lastly, workshops on the finer details of the pre-processing and analysis of neuro-imaging will be presented at postgraduate level," Roos explains.

She says the MHIC would ultimately like to see easier access to treatment of mental illness for all South Africans, as well as the introduction of education and screening programmes in schools and at tertiary institutions to empower learners and students to take charge of their mental health.