Phil Upshall is the Senior Policy Advisor to Mood Disorders Society of Canada.

Phil Upshall was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, educated at Dalhousie Univeristy, Halifax (B. Com. 1965) and the University of Toronto (LLB 1967).  In 1991, Phil Upshall was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder.  When experiences with mental illness ended his legal career, Philip Upshall entered the mental health sector to help others like himself. Phil’s diagnosis with mental illness (bipolar disorder) marked a significant shift in his life. Some doors, like his legal career, came to a close. However, the new doors that opened not only helped change his relationship with mental illness, but thousands of others as well. Phil has devoted and continues to devote the rest of his life in support of those living with mental illness.

Phil is the past National Executive Director and the current Policy Advisor to the Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) a national NGO with a mandate to represent nationally the interests of consumers and families dealing with depression, bipolar illness and other related mood disorders.  MDSC is one of Canada’s leading advocates for Canadians suffering from mental illnesses and their families and caregivers.  MDSC’s various publications, projects, conferences, research and collaborations are posted on the MDSC website – mdsc.ca. – which is among the most visited Canadian websites dedicated to mental illness and mental health.

Phil is also:

• Senior Policy Advisor to the CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada
• Co-founder of the APEC Digital Hub for Best Practices in Mental Health
• Co-founder and first Executive Director of the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH)
• Co-founder of the Canadian Depression Research and Intervention Network (CDRIN)
• A member of the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL)
• A past member of the Institute Advisory Board of the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, CIHR
• A member of the PHAC Surveillance Advisory Committee on Mental Illness
• A member of a number of expert panels for Stats Canada, Health Canada, CIHI and others

Phil has also had the privilege of working closely with the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology and its then co-chair, the Honourable Michael Kirby during its groundbreaking study on mental illness in Canada – “Out of the Shadows at Last”, which, among other things, recommended the establishment of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.