IDRAC (Institute for Development Research and Applied Care) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that was officially founded by Lebanese experts in the field of mental health (psychiatrists and psychologists) in 1995. These experts had been conducting research and delivering services in Lebanon since 1980. At that time, the founding members of IDRAC were faced with a grim reality: there was no data on mental health disorders in Lebanon, nor any available assessment tools to assess the prevalence of these disorders (on a large scale). Above all, the Lebanese wars had been ravaging the country for five years and there was little knowledge about their effect on the mental health of the population.
IDRAC′s main mission is to promote research in mental health, to increase public awareness (through seminars, conferences, pamphlets...), to participate in the improvement of training and educational programs in mental health, and to disseminate knowledge to the Lebanese and the Arab speaking public at large. In an effort to fulfill its mission, IDRAC′s members have been involved in many national and international studies, targeting different segments of the population (children, orphans, university students, patients, general community…) and assessing different types of mental health conditions , (including depression, anxiety disorders, suicidality, substance use, ADHD, etc). IDRAC relies mainly on the benevolent support of institutions and individuals who believe in the necessity of scientific research in mental health and the public education in that field.
IDRAC has a sister institution, M.I.N.D. (Medical Institute for Neuropsychological Disorders), that is mainly focused on providing clinical services to the public. The majority of the psychiatrists and psychologists working at M.I.N.D. are also actively involved in the research conducted at IDRAC.
Please browse our researchsection to see some of our national and international studies on such topics of interest as war, substance abuse, child mental health, women′s health, and depression.