Discussing depression and addiction links:The complex interaction between depression and addiction will be teased out by psychiatrist Dr Conor Farren at this month's Aware lecture tomorrow at 7.30pm in St Patrick's Hospital, James St, Dublin.
Dr Farren will speak about the link between alcohol and suicide and the impact of recreational drug use on mental health. Admission is free and all are welcome. See also www.aware.ie.
Festival of Mind, Body, Spirit
The 16th annual Mind, Body, Spirit festival takes place in the RDS Industries Hall, Ballsbridge, Dublin on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
As well as stalls on various forms of complementary therapies and spiritual practices, the festival will include a series of free workshops and talks.
Log onto www.mindbody spirit.ie for details. Opening hours: Sat/Sun 11am-7pm; Monday 11am-6pm.
Take the kidney test
Know Your Kidney is the theme of this year's World Kidney Day on Thursday. The Irish Kidney Association (IKA) is encouraging people to take a blood test to determine levels of creatinine in the blood, which is a marker of both the state of the kidney and cardiovascular health.
"There are an estimated 180,000 people in Ireland who have significant kidney disease and most of them are not aware of their condition," says Mark Murphy, IKA chief executive.
Talk about life after stroke
Life After Stroke is the theme of a public lecture on Thursday at 7pm in the Lloyd Institute in Trinity College Dublin. Consultant geriatrician Dr Ronan Collins will give the talk which has been organised by Trinity's Institute for Neuroscience and the Neurological Alliance of Ireland. Admission is free but advanced booking is advised on neuroscience@ tcd.ie or tel: 01-8724120.
Down's syndrome support
More than 1,000 public houses across the State will be stocking specially designed St Patrick's Day shamrock cards. By writing a message to friends and family on the card, people will donate €2 to Down Syndrome Ireland. All funds raised will go towards developing speech and language therapy services for children and young adults with Down's syndrome.