A CRJ-200 Captain inadvertently turned off the #1 generator when reacting precipitously in response to the alert message advising of the loss of the #2 generator. The ADG extended immediately and the flight returned to the departure airport after restoring power from the mistakenly shut down generator.

Narrative

I was the pilot flying on climb out and at 11000 feet we got a Gen2 Off caution message. I immediately reached up to make sure Gen 1 was on and out of reaction moved it in the off position. Immediately before moving my hand I quickly switched to the ON position but the ADG (Air Driven Generator) was already deploying. I alerted the First Officer and we ran the immediate action checklists for loss of power and then for Gen 2 off. We got delayed vectors back to our departure airport as we completed checklists and contacted Dispatch and Operations. There was no need to declare an emergency and we landed without further incident. I believe the mistake happened due to a reflex action on my part instead of taking in all the information and taking my time. My initial reaction was to make sure that our remaining generator was on and working properly. I should never have touched it but that was my initial reaction. I have definitely learned to take my time when dealing with a problem as there are very few malfunctions that have to be dealt with in a split second.