Mental Health: A Special Series

In January of this year, The Mississauga News released a a three part special Series on Mental Health.  Topics range from personal stories, funding in peel, how the mental health system in peel is supporting the population; and how it's falling short.  I found it to be an incredibly in-depth series that examines the very real, and sometimes heartbreaking effects the mental health system in peel has on the families that are reaching out for support. Please take a look at this incredible series:
Part 1: Help....The Monsters Under my Bed are Real
Part 2: "The System Failed us"
Part 3: A New Frontier in Mental Health

I've found myself recently having a lot of conversation with families in Peel about the connections (or possibly missed connections) between the campaigns to end mental health stigma (Ex: Bell Let's Talk), and the funding that goes to the programs to help people when they are ready for support.  I was really struck by a Father who told me that although he's extremely encouraged by the advocacy and stigma campaigns, he has been increasingly worried about what happens when people feel more comfortable seeking help from our system If the funding still isn't there, wait lists, inpatient beds, and even crisis response may not be caught up to even access the services. Later that same day I came across this article from the National Post that sheds some light on people who are falling through the cracks of an overburdened system.

We have certainly come a long way in Mental Health Strategies in Canada, and  I truly believe that education is the first step.  We need to know how the system is working right now, in order to help make it better.  We can write letters, talk openly about it, bring forward the ideas of the families who are using the system themselves to make sure that the people who are really needing the help don't fall through the cracks.  Remember, as a community we have a lot of power.  We can work together to make a difference.

Family Matters

Following the holiday season's Edeka tear-jerking video reiterating the importance of family, Masterfoods (an Australian based organization) conducted a survey asking parents and children who the would like to have dinner with. Grab your Kleenex to watch the video here.

Let's make time for the people that matter most!

"Scientists Move Closer to Understanding Schizophrenia's Cause"

The internet was booming at the end of last week with an exciting development for the mental health community. "Scientists reported [last] Wednesday that they had taken a significant step toward understanding the cause of schizophrenia, in a landmark study that provides the first rigorously tested insight into the biology behind any common psychiatric disorder." Find the full article on the New York Times website, HERE.

A video on the subject from The Toronto Star can be watched HERE.

A break-down of research "Schizophrenia's strongest known genetic risk deconstructed" can be found on the National Institutes of Health website, HERE.

Wednesday January 27 Bell Canada Let's Talk Campaign

Bell Canada via their annual  Let's Talk Campaign raises awareness of mental health issues and fundraises for mental health support programs.


On the same day, the Canadian television program, The Social will be televising an interview with Prime Minister Trudeau to discuss mental health on a personal level and in regards to the federal government's role.  It is great to see that mental health awareness is increasing via the involvement of private and government institutions.

Recovery & Mental Health

The best way to understand mental wellness is to view it as a continuum. Our positions may shift from time to time depending on the events of our lives. Seeing mental health as a continuum means that we are not always stuck in one state and we are able to move back and forth. It’s important to understand that we all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. The quality of our mental and physical health fluctuates. Factors such as stress, lack of sleep and traumatic experiences can impact our mental health as can the level and quality of support that one has in times of stress. Just as we need to do things to maintain good physical health, it helps to do certain things to maintain good mental health, such as manage our stress, seek counseling and support when overwhelmed, or take care of our bodies through proper sleep, diet and nutrition.

Recovery Story

I get asked a lot to share recovery stories that I've heard from people.  These stories can help to inspire hope, create normalcy for mental illness, and give people a voice who feel like they might not have one (or feel like people don't want to listen).  Here's a video from someone who wants to share his own experience with mental illness. 
This video contains a conversation about suicide.

New Care Strategy

Recently there was a study conducted to look the care strategy for individuals experiencing Schizophrenia in the United States, and the results they found are quite promising in terms of implementing more comprehensive community care.  Medication has always been at the forefront of care for individuals experiencing psychosis related illnesses, and while they can be extremely helpful, are not a "magic pill".  This study shows that participants who were on a lower dose of anti psychotic medication, while receiving comprehensive talk therapy and family therapy, tended report a higher quality of life over the next two years.
It's important that we are constantly striving to find new and better ways to support people experiencing mental illness, and please read the New York Times Article that gives a great overview of the study, and goes on to discuss how this new comprehensive care strategy can be implemented in the community.