From Recovery to Discovery -- A Mental Health Peer Support Group in Halifax

TODAY, May 17th, 6:30 pm!

Meetings

Every Thursday Evening

6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

The Hub

2nd Floor, 1673 Barrington Street

Halifax, Nova Scotia


The From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group is open to anyone affected by any type of mental illness, and this includes family members and friends.

Free!

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

An interactive presentation on

The Nova Scotia Mental Health & Addictions Strategy

and

The Report and Recommendations of the Mental Health & Addictions Strategy Advisory Committee

with

Cecilia McRae

Member, Nova Scotia Mental Health and Addictions Strategy Advisory Committee

Join group co-facilitators Lisa Corra and Vince Daigle for an interactive presentation on Together We Can: The plan to improve mental health and addictions care for Nova Scotians and Come Together: Report & Recommendations of the Mental Health & Addictions Strategy Advisory Committee with Cecilia McRae, member of the Nova Scotia Mental Health & Addictions Strategy Advisory Committee. Together We Can was released on May 16th, 2012, and Come Together was released on April 23rd, 2012.

Cecilia McRae

Cecilia is President of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia. Since 2004, she has been a member of the Creative Wellness Project and Friendship Corner in Antigonish. She has been the supporter of a family member with a mental illness since 1999. She lives in Merigomish, Pictou County, and has been actively involved in the recent development of the Pictou County Family Support Group. Cecilia is currently co-facilitating delivery the Strengthening Families Together program in Stellarton.

Cecilia McRae image credit

Organized through a partnership between the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia and the Healthy Minds Cooperative, the From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group is special because it moves beyond the expectation of simply existing with minimal symptoms of mental illness. Our message is that we all have the opportunity to manifest our strengths, to recover a sense of empowerment, and to live with meaning and purpose. Through the mutual sharing of our own wisdom and experience, we are reminded to reach for hope and fulfillment in our lives, and to help one another realize our potential.

The From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group is open to anyone affected by any type of mental illness, and this includes family members and friends. The format generally involves an interactive presentation on topics of interest to the group in the first hour, and a group discussion during the second hour.

To download the From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group's meeting flyer (PDF), please click here.

If you have any questions, or would like more information, please contact:

Lisa Corra, Peer Support Facilitator, Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, by phoning 465-2601 (toll free 1-800-465-2601) or sending an email to ssns2@ns.sympatico.ca; or

Vince Daigle, Peer Support Worker, Healthy Minds Cooperative, by phoning 404-3504, or sending an email to healthyminds@eastlink.ca.

Strengthening Families Together - Pictou County

This Tuesday, May 22nd, 7:00 pm!

Stellarton

Do you have a relative or friend living with a serious mental illness?

Would you like to learn more about his/her illness?

Strengthening Families Together, a ten-week program for families and friends, provides information, skill building, and support.

Delivered by family members who have direct experience with the psychiatric illness of a loved one, and enhanced by invited speakers with topical expertise, Strengthening Families Together is a Canadian-based educational program focusing on:

• Facts about psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression
• Early intervention & recovery
• Treatments & supports
• Coping with the challenges of daily life
• Navigating the mental health system

There is no cost to participate in the Strengthening Families Together program. Each Strengthening Families Together session runs for 10 consecutive weeks (not including statutory holidays), and two hours are allotted on a single day each week (with a break half way through).

The Pictou County Family Support Group
is currently hosting a 10-week session

Tuesdays

March 27th to May 29th, 2012
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

NSCC Pictou Campus

Room A-204 (please use the back entrance)

39 Acadia Avenue

Stellarton, Nova Scotia

Feel free to attend any week's session, or all of them!

The topic and speaker for this week's meeting is:

Tuesday, May 15th, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm:

Recovery with Terri Cameron, Mental Health Program, Pictou County Health Authority.

Please check the community happenings section of your local paper in Pictou County for details regarding the topics and speakers for the later sessions.

Free!

For further information, please call the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia at (902) 465-2601 or 1-800-465-2601 (toll free in Nova Scotia). 

For further information on the Strengthening Families Together program, please click here.

Also see:

Strengthening Families Together delivered in Pictou County

Reaction to mental health strategy

From CBC Nova Scotia:

Dr. Stan Kutcher, a psychiatrist, reacts to the N.S. mental health strategy unveiled on Wednesday.

Also see:

Young people priority in Nova Scotia's mental health plan

Mental health plan unveiled in N.S.

Motivational Interviewing Workshop - Halifax

Ongoing in Halifax!

The HRM Chapter of the SSNS

presents

A Motivational Interviewing Workshop

with

Dr. Zenovia Ursuliak

Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a counseling style that enhances peoples' internal motivation to make healthy behaviour changes. As a family member you may feel hopeless and frustrated when
you see your loved ones making unhealthy choices. This workshop will teach you MI skills that you can use to diffuse tension and build a collaborative relationship with your loved one.

Dates

Every Wednesday from May 16th to June 6th

Time

May 16th: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

May 23, 30 & June 6: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Location

Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program

Abbie J. Lane Memorial Building, 3rd Floor

(elevators to the right as you enter)

5909 Veterans' Memorial Lane

Halifax, Nova Scotia

To register, please contact Donna Methot by calling (902) 462-8658 or by sending an email to hrmchapterssns@accesswave.ca.

Photo credit

Also see:

HRM Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (SSNS)

Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program

Strengthening Families Together -- Facilitator Training Session

Monday, June 4th, 6:00 pm!

Middleton, Nova Scotia

Please click on the image to magnify it.

To download the flyer (PDF), please click here.

For more information or to register for this Strengthening Families Together (SFT) facilitator training session, please contact Hilary Thorne at (902) 465-2601 or 1-800-465-2601 (toll free in Nova Scotia), or send an email to hilary.thorne@bellaliant.com.

For further information on the SFT program, please click here. For an online video version of SFT, please click here.

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia's 30th Anniversary Celebration!

Saturday, June 16th, 12:30 pm!

Please click on the image to magnify it.

Pay what you can” contributions at the door will be appreciated.

Plenty of free parking available on site.

Please RSVP by Monday, June 4th, 2012, by calling the SSNS at 465-2601 or 1-800-465-2601 (toll free in Nova Scotia), or by emailing hilary.thorne@bellaliant.com.

For a map of the event location, please click here.

For information on the Park Bench Players, please click here.

The Agenda with Steve Paikin: Schizophrenia: A Sentence or a Diagnosis?

The Mental Health Strategy for Canada

To download Changing Directions, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada (PDF), please click here.

To download the Strategy Summary (PDF), please click here.

Your Help Is Needed to Make Mind Matter

Please click on an image to magnify it.

To download a PDF version of this letter, please click here.

Recovery Quilt Raffle Winner

Please click on the photograph to magnify it.

The draw for the Recovery Quilt took place during the 4th Annual Road to Recovery Walk held on May 5th, 2012.  The winner was Angie Chasse-Naugler of Hebbs Cross, Nova Scotia.

The Recovery Quilt incorporates a tilted square design with an iris in the center of each square. The iris is a symbol of courage, wisdom, and hope, all of which aid in the recovery process. The numerous squares and winding path depict a journey to recovery that is not always straight and seldom accomplished without support. The hand-quilting was completed by the ladies of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church Guild in Merigomish, Nova Scotia.

Proceeds from the Recovery Quilt raffle will assist the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia in its work to improve the quality of life for those affected by schizophrenia and psychosis, including family members, friends, co-workers, and employers.

Nova Scotia Lottery Licence No.: AGD005716-11

Inside mental illness: Schizophrenia

From the YouTube posting:

Laura has taken everything she learnt from her diagnosis with schizophrenia to help others accept their own mental illness. In 2009, she was awarded with the Inspiring Lives Award from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia for her advocacy and work with various mental health organizations. Laura is currently pursuing a Masters in Drama Therapy from Concordia University in Montreal.

Mental-health strategy calls for complete overhaul, $4-billion commitment

An article published in today's edition of The Globe and Mail:

By André Picard — Public Health Reporter

Canada’s mental-health system is underfunded and poorly co-ordinated and needs a complete overhaul to meet the needs of patients and their families, the Mental Health Commission says in its long-awaited national strategy.

The 152-page document recommends an immediate infusion of $4-billion annually for mental-health care; calls on employers to implement psychological health and safety standards to protect workers; says efforts to divert people with severe mental-health problems out of the justice system and into care need to be accelerated; and embraces a “housing first” philosophy to get homeless people suffering from mental illness off the streets.

The Globe and Mail obtained a copy of the strategy, entitled “Changing Direction, Changing Lives,” under embargo but is publishing before the Tuesday release date because of leaks to other media outlets.

Until now, Canada has had the dubious distinction of being the only G8 country without a mental-health strategy but the Mental Health Commission of Canada says it now has a “blueprint to translate aspiration for change into action.”

An estimated 6.7 million Canadians suffer from mental illness at any given time. Last year alone, spending on mental-health services totalled $42.3-billion and the impact on the economy was even greater.

“This is an ubiquitous Canadian problem and an ubiquitous global problem,” said David Goldbloom [pictured], a psychiatrist and chairman of the MHCC. “There are significant barriers – in the health-care system, in the workplace and in the community.”

To break down those barriers – and address the problem of stigma in particular – the strategy proposes six “strategic directions” that should be pursued, and makes numerous recommendations in each area:

• Promoting mental health and prevention of mental illness;

• Fostering recovery and upholding rights;

• Providing access to the right services, treatments and supports;

• Reducing disparity and addressing diversity and those suffering mental-health problems;

• Working with first nations, Inuit and Métis, communities where addictions and suicide are major problems;

• Mobilizing leadership and fostering collaboration.

Dr. Goldbloom stressed that the commission is not a funding agency so its role is to promote a vision and promote buy-in by putting forward good research, highlighting best practices and facilitating co-operation between various stakeholders.

“We’re not an advocacy organization, we’re a catalyst,” Dr. Goldbloom said.

To underscore the approach, the strategy is peppered with examples of successful mental-health programs from around the country, such as Partners For Life, an innovative suicide prevention program that has reached 750,000 high-school students in Quebec, and the Seniors Mental Health Outreach Team that follow up on referrals from police, social services and physicians to ensure seniors with mental-health problems get follow-up care.

The strategy does not deal much with monetary issues, with one exception; it says that, currently, 7 per cent of health dollars in Canada ($14-billion) are spent on mental-health care and recommends that be increased to 9 per cent ($18-billion).

“We need more money for mental health, but we also need to spend it more wisely,” said Louise Bradley, the chief operating officer of the MHCC and a psychiatric nurse by training.

She stressed too that the needs of mental-health patients cannot be met exclusively by the health system, that changes are required in social services, education, housing and corrections.

A draft of the strategy, released in 2009, was met with sharp criticism, particularly from families of people living with severe mental illness. They complained that too little attention was paid to neuroscience and the right to treatment, and too much credence given to the civil libertarians and anti-psychiatry activists.

Dr. Goldbloom said that the final version of the strategy is very different and, in particular, pays far more attention to the needs of those with severe mental illness and their families. The report states that “treatment of people with severe illness is a gauge of system success.”

The MHCC chairman conceded, however, that it is impossible to create a blueprint for change that will please everyone. “My hope is that everyone will see they like 80 per cent of the strategy and support the overall thrust. That’s the only way we’ll be able to mobilize and move forward.”

The Mental Health Commission of Canada was created in 2007 in response to a damning Senate report on the state of mental-health care entitled “Out of the Shadows at Last – Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada.”

The MHCC has an annual budget of $15-million.

Healthy Minds Cooperative Newsletter - May 2012

Please click on the image to magnify it.

To download the entire newsletter (PDF), please click here.

Also see:

Healthy Minds Cooperative

Pictou County Family Support Group

Tuesday, June 12th, 7:00 pm!

Pictou County

Support and Education Group Meeting

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

NSCC Pictou Campus
Room B166 (back entrance)

39 Acadia Avenue

Stellarton, Nova Scotia

A new Support and Education Group for those affected by schizophrenia or another serious mental disorder meets on the second Tuesday of every month (except July & August) at the Nova Scotia Community College in Stellarton. Family members, caregivers, friends and those with lived experience of mental illness are welcome to attend.

For further information about this group, please contact the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia at 1-800-465-2601 or send an email to ssns@ns.sympatico.ca.

Image credit

Panel: Trim mental health wait times

Health and Wellness Minister Maureen MacDonald (right) greets Dr. Ajantha Jayabarathan, a member of the Mental Health and Addictions Strategy Advisory Committee, at Province House on April 23rd.


An article published in today's edition of The Chronicle Herald:

By Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press

An expert panel is calling on Nova Scotia to shorten wait times for children and youths who have been referred for a mental health assessment, but the health minister says the province is already having a tough time meeting existing standards.

Maureen MacDonald was responding Monday to the release of a report from a 12-member advisory committee that produced 61 recommendations for creating the province’s first comprehensive mental health strategy.

The report highlights the fact that most mental health disorders — an estimated 70 per cent — begin to appear before age 25. However, the committee found that “long wait times for children and youth with symptoms of mental illness was a particular concern.”

As a result, the report recommends reducing wait times for children and youths beyond the existing provincial standards.

The committee says urgent cases should be offered an assessment within a week instead of 10 days, semi-urgent referrals should be offered an appointment within two weeks instead of four weeks, and regular cases should be seen within 21 days.

“We heard throughout the province that you have to get people early,” said committee co-chairman Michael Ungar, a professor at the School of Social Work at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

“We know that if we can catch kids as they begin to show some of the signs related to mental illness and addictions problems … the less likely those conditions are to become chronic.”

But the province isn’t even meeting the existing standards, despite being admonished for lengthy wait times by the province’s auditor general in 2010.

“We’re the only province in the country that has mental health standards, (but) we haven’t been able to meet them and we need to do the work to get us there,” MacDonald said outside the legislature.

She said the province plans to release its mental health strategy some time this spring.

Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil said the contents of the report merely restate was is already known about the system. “It could have been said two years ago,” he said in an interview.

“Anyone … would have recognized we had to deal with the gaps, we had to invest in early intervention. To wait this length of time to receive that report is disappointing. We should have had a mental health strategy on where we’re going next.”

Dr. Stephen Ayer, executive director of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, said the government must now take action.

“The important thing is that the committee has completed its work and now we can move on to the actual development of the strategy,” he said. “What’s more critical is what the government does with this document.”

The committee’s report — almost a year overdue — says that virtually everyone consulted for the study said there were problems with wait times and after-hours services.

The report also says there are too many gaps in the system, particularly when it comes to transitions from one service to another.

The Health Department and Community Services Department, for example, consider the transition from youth to adult at different ages, said Ungar.

Among other measures, the committee recommends expanding telephone crisis intervention services across the province, improving mental health awareness among health professionals and expanding housing options.

The committee does not say how much it would cost to implement its recommendations, saying it did not have a mandate to calculate expenses.

It is estimated that about 180,000 people in the province are affected by mental illness — that’s about one in every five.

The provincial government announced it would draft a new mental health strategy in March 2010.

At the time, a group of mental health advocates complained the mental health system was in chaos, plagued by long waiting lists and a lack of funding.

Photograph by Tim Krochak, The Chronicle Herald


Also see:

Come Together: Report & Recommendations of the Mental Health and Addictions Strategy Advisory Committee - March 2012

Come Together: Report & Recommendations of the Mental Health and Addictions Strategy Advisory Committee - Summary - March 2012

Mental Health and Addictions Strategy Advisory Committee Releases Report

Child Medication Guide Stresses Need for Team Effort

To download the entire guide (PDF), please click here.

Also see:

Child Medication Guide Stresses Need for Team Effort

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Superhero - A Visual Poem

One of the many comments posted on YouTube about this video:

Mental health is so hard to understand, so hard to grasp for everyone ... finally a short film, a beautiful poem, a true piece of art that can connect people with with the words and the feelings that are oh so hard to share. Thank you Hachey. Thank you Laura. You've done it right.

Posted by emptypink

Also visit:

Mark Vonnegut: "Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness Only More So" (Rebroadcast)

HRM Family Education & Support Group

Monday, June 11th, 7:00 pm!

HRM Chapter of the SSNS

Family Education & Support Group Meeting

Family members, friends, co-workers, and other supporters of those living with schizophrenia and related illnesses are cordially invited to attend Family Education & Support Group meetings of the HRM Chapter. The next meeting is ...

Date
Monday, June 11th, 2012

Time
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Place
Room 1243A, Halifax Infirmary
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre
1796 Summer Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Agenda

7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Topic: TBA

8:15 pm to 9:00 pm

Group Discussion

To download the HRM Chapter's brochure, click here (PDF).

To join the HRM Chapter of the SSNS, or for more information, contact Donna Methot at (902) 462-8658 or send an email to hrmchapterssns@accesswave.ca.

The HRM Chapter of the SSNS will accept members from outside the boundaries of Halifax Regional Municipality.

Photograph of downtown Halifax by Derek Rodgers.


Also see:

Motivational Interviewing Workshop - Halifax

Support for Family and Friends of Persons Living with Mental Illness

Monday, June 11th, 7:00 pm!

New Minas

A Self-Help Group in Kings County, Nova Scotia

Caring for a loved one who is dealing with a mental illness can require emotional and practical support. You are not alone. This self-help group was started in the fall of 2008 to share personal experiences in response to the need of support for the families and friends of persons living with serious mental illness.

While it originated through families involved in the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (SSNS), the group feels it can offer support to families dealing with a wide range of brain illnesses, including psychosis (a break with reality), major depression, and bipolar disorder. This is not a resource group to provide technical, medical or legal aid, or for advocacy - although our experiences may have touched on these issues. Everything shared within the group is confidential.


We meet on the second Monday of each month from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, except then this day is a statutory holiday. Meetings are not held during the summer months of July and August.

Location

Evangeline Club
8752 Commercial Street
New Minas, Nova Scotia


If someone you know or meet might be interested, please encourage them to contact us through the SSNS by calling 1-800-465-2601 (toll-free in Nova Scotia) or by emailing us directly at kc_schizophrenia_society@hotmail.com.

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia exists to improve the quality of life for those affected by schizophrenia and psychosis through education, support programs, public policy and research ... including their families.

Helping hands graphic courtesy of Lincalinca.

Lunenburg County Chapter of the SSNS

Tuesday, June 19th, 7:00 pm!

The Lunenburg County Chapter holds monthly support meetings for people living with mental illness, their family members, and friends, at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 68 Alexandra Avenue, Bridgewater.  Meetings are held the third Tuesday of every month, except during the summer months of July and August. For further information please call (902) 527-1893 or (902) 527-1692 or visit ssnslcc.blogspot.com.

Cumberland County Chapter of the SSNS

Tuesday, June 19th, 7:00 pm!

Cumberland County Chapter meetings are held the third Tuesday of each month, beginning at 7:00 pm, in the Dr. Carson & Marion Murray Community Centre, 6 Main Street, Springhill, Nova Scotia. Meetings are not held during the months of July and August.

Photograph courtesy of the Town of Springhill.

Kings County Chapter of the SSNS

Wednesday, June 20th, 7:00 pm!

Meetings of the Kings County Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia are held the third Wednesday of each month, beginning at 7:00 pm, at the Kentville Lions Club, 78 River Street, Kentville, Nova Scotia. Meetings are not held during the summer months of July and August.

Board of Directors of the Kings County Chapter

Front row: Pam Langille, Rick Ball, Margaret Burton

Middle row: Roger Cann, Margie MacNeil, Tony Nette

Back row: John Eakin, Sadie Cann, Pat MacLean

Please click on the photograph to enlarge it.

Also see:

Support for Family and Friends of Persons Living with Mental Illness: A Self-Help Group in Kings County, Nova Scotia

Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia on Mental Illness

Stephen Ayer of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia talks the perceptions of mental illness following the death of Raymond Taavel.




Also see:

Stephen Ayer interviewed on Information Morning

Assistance with navigating mental health services in the Capital Health district (Halifax Regional Municipality)

From the Healthy Minds Cooperative's February 2012 newsletter:

Navigation

Going through the mental health system can be like trying to find your way through a maze. Navigation is a service that the Healthy Minds Cooperative (HMC) provides that helps guide people living with a mental illness, and their families, to connect with support services in the community. The Navigator can answer your questions and concerns about:

• Services in the community

• Support groups

• Programs and workshops

• Referral Services

• Advocacy

• Web-based resources

For more information about Navigation and to speak with HMC Navigator, Laurel Walker, please call (902) 404-3504 or email hmnavigator@eastlink.ca.

Image credit


Also see:

Mental Health Program - Capital Health

OurHealthyMinds.com

Healthy Minds Cooperative

The Self-Help Connection


Community Helping Trees

Bedford/Sackville

Clayton Park

Dartmouth

Halifax Peninsula

Newcomers

Seniors

Prospect / Tantallon / Timberlea / St. Margarets Bay

Spryfield

Strengthening Families Together delivered in Pictou County

Pictured from left to right are Dr. Ian Slayter, Sheila Chisholm, a program participant, and Cecilia McRae, program facilitator.

On April 3rd, the Pictou County Family Support Group delivered Sessions #1 & #2 of Strengthening Families Together, a free ten-session educational program for families affected by serious mental illness. The guest speaker for the evening was Dr. Ian Slayter, a clinical psychiatrist working with GASHA at St. Martha's Hospital in Antigonish. Dr. Slayter’s interactive presentation focused on psychosis. Session #3, with an interactive presentation on treatment and medications by Bill Skinner, a pharmacist with Lawtons Drugs in New Glasgow, was held on April 10th.

Funding for the program has been provided by the Pictou County Health Authority Wellness Fund, with meeting space and technical support supplied by the Nova Scotia Community College - Pictou Campus.

The Pictou County Family Support Group is new to Pictou County and was established to meet a need in the county. The group was developed with the assistance of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia and with funding from the Canada Post Foundation for Mental Illness and Mental Health. The support group meets every second Tuesday of each month, except for July and August, and is open to family members, care providers, and community partners.

Information for both the Pictou County Family Support Group and future sessions of the Strengthening Families Together program can be found in the Community Happenings section of The News.

Also see:

Strengthening Families Together - Pictou County

Support the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia by purchasing a handcrafted birdhouse!

$40.00 each!

Please click on the photograph to enlarge it.

A member has donated handcrafted bird houses to the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia. The bird houses are available for purchase for $40.00 (plus shipping) by contacting the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia at (902) 465-2601 or 1-800-465-2601 (toll-free in Nova Scotia) or by sending an email to ssns@ns.sympatico.ca.

Stop Blaming Me for my Daughter's Mental Illness

An article posted on April 12th by The Huffington Post - Canada:

By Susan Inman (pictured)

As the parent of someone with a severe schizoaffective disorder, I'm used to being viewed with suspicion. Sometimes the pathologizing gaze occurs in unexpected places. Following the publication of an article I wrote for B.C. Teacher about the importance of educating staff in schools about mental disorders, a fellow teacher asked me if I knew what we'd done to cause my daughter's illness.

The unjustified suspicion of mental health professionals can be even more damaging. When we took our floundering teenage daughter to a credentialed counseling psychologist, we knew nothing about severe mental illnesses. As it turned out, neither did she. Her training included no material on psychotic disorders. Instead, it focused on psychodynamic theories, which look for the causes of current problems in people's early childhood experiences. Her misguided assumptions, fed by her training, led to chaos in the early years of our daughter's illness and to an unnecessarily long and dangerous psychotic episode.

Even with recent decades of robust research in neuroscience, parental caregivers of people with psychotic disorders soon learn that their interactions with the mental health system will be filled with blame. Many mental health clinicians in Canada, like our daughter's counselor, have had no science-based training on schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Too often their interactions with families weaken the bonds that the illnesses have already frayed.

Psychiatry, for most of the 20th century, used the theories of Freud, which were never based on evidence-based research, to develop elaborate ways of blaming parents for schizophrenia. The Canadian Psychiatric Association now explicitly describes schizophrenia as a treatable brain disorder that is not caused by poor parenting.

Our relationship with our daughter's psychiatrist has been extraordinary. I believe it is responsible for her unexpected recovery. When the psychiatric team at Vancouver's St. Paul's Hospital first met her, she was one of the most severely psychotic teenagers they had ever seen. From the time that one member of this team, our daughter's current psychiatrist, began to work with her, he listened carefully to our input as we navigated the arduous path to her stability.

Even with this history of mutual respect, my husband and I were stunned recently when we were discussing strategies for managing any difficulties that might emerge during an upcoming trip. He stopped the discussion, looked at us, and said, "You guys are such great parents!"

I'm immersed in a community of parental caregivers in Vancouver and have been asking if anyone has ever been told anything like this. The answer is, "Never." These friends, who constantly inspire me with their energy, dedication and resourcefulness in advocating for their struggling children, find it hard to imagine hearing this kind of supportive response. Instead, my question is usually greeted with yet another account of the wounding of families by the mental health system.

Some parents do receive much-needed support from their own family physicians, who also provide primary healthcare to their often unstable sons and daughters. For many years, both my husband and I have freely vented, grieved, and tried to problem solve with the informed and compassionate help of our family doctor.

In recent years, the Canadian Psychiatric Association and the College of Family Physicians of Canada have begun an active collaboration including an annual Shared-Care conference. Much of the focus has been on helping family physicians become more knowledgeable in responding to the serious mental illnesses they are increasingly being asked to manage.

The upcoming Shared-Care conference in Vancouver offers richly informative sessions for family physicians. However, I don't see any sessions that provide family physicians opportunities to share their often considerable expertise in helping parents survive their daunting tasks. Fortunately, this kind of conference does invite informal communication on just these kinds of overlooked topics. Since family caregivers for people with severe mental illnesses save the healthcare system money, new ways of supporting them are well worth considering.

Photo credit

How to refer someone to the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program

From the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program (NSEPP) website:

Because NSEPP is located in Halifax, within the largest of the Nova Scotia health regions; Capital Health, the program provides direct clinical services to residents of the Capital Health district.

Referrals to NSEPP can be made by anyone, including mental health care professionals, family physicians, community agencies, educators and school counselors, family members, friends and any young person who suspects they may be suffering from a first episode of psychosis.

Criteria for referral of individuals who reside in the Capital Health district are:

• Any individual between the ages of 15-35 who is suspected of experiencing or has been diagnosed with a first episode of psychosis, and

• Has been treated for less than 6 months with an anti-psychotic medication, and

• At the time of referral has had active, untreated psychosis for less than one year.

If you or someone you know meets these criteria please contact the NSEPP immediately at (902) 473-2976.

What can I expect if I refer someone who resides in the Capital Health district?

• The intake coordinator from NSEPP will usually contact the person making the referral within 1- 2 working days after NSEPP receives the referral. The purpose of this contact is to obtain information necessary to decide if the person being referred meets the criteria for the NSEPP program and to also determine the urgency of the referral.

• All information regarding new referrals is presented by the intake coordinator to the NSEPP multidisciplinary team at their weekly meeting. At that meeting the NSEPP team will determine if the individual referred meets the criteria for the NSEPP program. If a referral meets criteria, NSEPP endeavours to assess those individuals within 1-2 weeks.

• Priority for appointments for initial assessments will be determined by the NSEPP team based on their assessment of the degree of urgency.

• Urgent referrals are assessed, whenever possible, within 1-2 working days.

• The individual making the referral to the NSEPP will be notified of the date of the assessment appointment and, after the assessment is completed, will be notified of the outcome.

• If it is determined that an individual referred to NSEPP does not meet criteria for the program, the individual making the referral will be notified by the intake coordinator and will be provided with information regarding referral to other appropriate mental health services. 

Under the provincial service delivery model developed by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and as one of the Dalhousie University Department of Psychiatry clinical academic programs, NSEPP provides clinical consultation for residents of the Maritime provinces who reside outside the Capital Health district.

Criteria for referral of individuals who reside in the Maritime Provinces outside of the Capital Health district:

• NSEPP only accepts referrals for consultation from health care professionals including any mental health care professional or family physician, and

• Any individual between the age of 15-35 who is experiencing early psychosis (within the first 5 years of the onset of psychosis), may be referred for a consultation regarding diagnosis and/or treatment.

NSEPP does not provide ongoing clinical services to individuals who reside outside of the Capital Health district.

What can I expect if I refer an individual who resides in the Maritime Provinces outside of the Capital Health district?

• The intake coordinator from NSEPP will usually contact the person making the referral within 1 week after NSEPP receives the referral. The purpose of this contact is to obtain more detailed information regarding the reasons for the referral for consultation from the NSEPP.

• All information regarding consultations is presented by the intake coordinator to the NSEPP multidisciplinary team at their weekly meeting. At that meeting the NSEPP team will determine if the consultation referral to NSEPP meets the program criteria for consultation from NSEPP.

• If a consultation referral meets the NSEPP criteria, the NSEPP endeavours to assess all individuals referred for a consultation within 4 weeks after NSEPP receives the referral

• The individual making the referral to the NSEPP will be notified of the date of the consultation appointment. Once the consultation is completed, the individual making the referral will receive a written report.

• If it is determined that an individual referred to NSEPP does not meet criteria for referral for a consultation from NSEPP the individual making the referral will be notified by the intake coordinator and will be provided with information regarding referral to other appropriate mental health services.

At this time, persons referred for a consultation with the NSEPP must be willing to travel to Halifax/Dartmouth Nova Scotia for an assessment

To make a referral for a consultation please contact (902) 473-2976.

Image credit

Also see:

Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program - Information for Family Members (PDF)

Mending Minds

I am not sick, I don't need help!

Dr. Xavier Amador is an internationally sought-after speaker, clinical psychologist, professor at Columbia University Teachers College in New York City, the Founder and Director of the LEAP™ Institute and author of eight books including the national best seller I’m Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help!™

In this video he talks about dealing with anosognosia, the lack of insight regarding a mental illness. The video was recorded during the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia's Annual Conference in 2005.

For a PowerPoint presentation on Dr. Amador's Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner (LEAP) approach, click here.

Part 1 of 2 (57 minutes)

Part 2 of 2 (53 minutes)

This video was reviewed by Schizophrenia.com on December 27, 2006. To read the review, please click here.


Other videos featuring Dr. Amador:

2011 Nordic Psychiatry Academy Interview with Dr. Amador

"I am not Sick, I don't need help!" presentation at the 2011 Nordic Psychiatry Academy

Anosognosia Workshop — July 3, 2010 (NAMI Conference)


Also see:

I am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help! How to help someone with mental illness accept treatment. 10th Anniversary Edition

Support the SSNS by purchasing all occasion cards!

$1.00 each!

Mary Ellen McMurtry, a Maritime artist, has donated a collection of original and one-of-a-kind greeting cards to assist the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia in fundraising.

Two sizes of cards are available to purchase from the SSNS, 7" x 5" and 8.5" x 5.5".

All cards cost $1.00 each (no HST), do not have the watermark or title, are blank inside, and include a mailing envelope.

FREE SHIPPING!

Other examples of the many cards available for purchase are:





If you are interested in viewing further examples of the greeting cards available for purchase, please contact the SSNS at (902) 465-2601 or 1-800-465-2601 or by sending an email to ssns@ns.sympatico.ca.

Fear for kids’ future

A letter to the editor published in today's edition of The Chronicle Herald:

Re: "A cry from the heart: Save our mental health staff." Kudos to Ally Dawson, the 16-year-old who is gave us the perspective from an (Adolescent Centre for Treatment) client. ACT is a 24 / 7 operation, and is being changed by the IWK to a 24 / 5 operation.

Ally spoke articulately from her heart in support of the program and the youth care workers, whom she has dealt with first-hand.

Why is it that when ever there are budget restraints, it is always the most vulnerable that get affected? Why is it that "top heavy" management is never affected by these decisions, or at the very minimum, equally affected? Although according to a response I received from Premier Darrell Dexter’s office, "there is no budget cut involved with this decision. In fact, mental health services are exempt from the restraint targets in the province’s multi-year plan to get back to balance."

Mr. Dexter [pictured], himself, states "…the design and delivery of mental health services are done by professionals in the field. As you would expect, we fund the DHAs (District Health Authorities) who make the decisions on the best mix of these services, based on knowledge, skill and advice. Over many years, this model has proved successful. I trust and expect that it will continue to do so."

I certainly hope he is right. The public needs an explanation as to what this proven successful model is.

What will this do to the kids in these programs? How many of them will fall through the cracks as a result of this decision? How many youth suicides will we have to deal with, and how many have to land in jail before we realize that this is a mistake?

My heart goes out to Ally and all the clients of the ACT and Compass programs and to the youth care workers who work with them because they love to. It takes special people to do these jobs, and they don’t have to have half a dozen initials after their names to be qualified, professional and do an "amazing" job.

M.L. (Speranza) Anstey, Antigonish

Photo credit

Also see:

Adolescent Centre for Treatment (PDF)

Compass, Centre for Collaborative Child and Family Treatment

The benefits of full time mental health support

Audio clip from the March 22nd edition of the CBC Radio One's (Nova Scotia) Information Morning:

As the IWK changes its mental health care facilities for children and teenagers, we find out how youth care workers and in-patient treatment at the IWK allowed a young man to tackle his anxiety disorder.

Connor MacLellan and his mother Susan say he would not have recovered from his anxiety and depression without the care he received as an in-patient.

To listen, please click here.

Image credit

Also see:

Realigning IWK mental health: ‘This is the right thing to do’

IWK explains why its making cuts to in-patient care for youth with mental illness

Nova Scotia can’t even meet its own ridiculous mental health standards

Assistance with navigating mental health services in the Capital Health district

First-Episode Psychosis - Academic Re-Entry Promotion Project -- Research Recruitment

Please click on the image to magnify it.

To download the a PDF of the poster, please click here.

IWK cuts waiting list by deleting names

An article published in today's edition of The Chronicle Herald:

1,100 child mental health patients affected

By Selena Ross

What does it take to get off a waiting list?

Of the 1,100 children removed since November from the IWK Health Centre’s waiting list for mental health services — an astonishing statistic the Halifax children’s hospital released widely on Monday — about half weren’t treated, and the hospital removed many of those without directly contacting them.

That’s because the IWK sent a letter to all families on the waiting list in September or October asking them to call back if they still wanted service.

Many didn’t call back. The list was instantly cut back by about half, the vice-president of patient care, Jocelyn Vine [pictured], said Thursday.

Since then, the hospital has screened hundreds of children for the first time, leaving 70 on the waiting list. But on Tuesday, Vine described that overall 94 per cent reduction as a "really very profound improvement in access to care" without explaining that hundreds of names had simply been deleted.

The hospital used the numbers this week to show its success under a reorganization that included the layoff of 22 youth-care workers.

Parents and mental health advocates challenged the math after reading about the hospital’s announcement this week.

"I had a feeling . . . I just wondered what had happened to that 1,030 people," said John Roswell of the Digby Clare Mental Health Volunteers Association.

"If they could see 1,100 people in three months, we could clean up the mental health waiting lists throughout the province in a big hurry."

Roswell said he called Vine on Wednesday to ask how the hospital came up with the numbers, and she explained the mass mail-out.

"I couldn’t believe what she said," he said. "I just thought it was a terrible misrepresentation of the facts.

"I understand their point about improving patient care and decreasing wait times. I mean, that’s all very applaudable, but I think we need to be upfront about it."

The mother of a 10-year-old Dartmouth boy who waited 14 months for a first appointment said she responded to several surveys the hospital mailed out during that time to reaffirm that the family still wanted care.

Last fall, the letter contained a deadline, said Carol Mack, whose son suffers from anxiety-related problems.

"It was something about how they were reorganizing their wait times . . . then you had to call this phone number, which is the Dartmouth clinic, I believe. (It said) if you are still requiring services, you have to call it by this certain date. Otherwise you’ll be removed from the wait list."

As Mack remembers it, she had about a month to call.

"But if they didn’t have the current phone number or address for someone, you were out of luck. Or, say, someone just missed it, you’d be totally kicked off the list."

Vine said Thursday that the hospital made extra efforts to get in touch with families who didn’t respond. Some also phoned to say they no longer needed care, she said.

Those who didn’t speak to the hospital were taken off the list, but they’re free to call and re-add their names any time they want, she said.

"Some chose to call in. Some didn’t," she said. "It’s totally up to them."

The numbers on the waiting list are not misleading, Vine said. Services were offered to all 1,100 families.

"We can only go by the data that we have. It’s a completely accurate number, based on the information that we had. We went back and re-engaged with people. . . . Based on their answer, we’re moving forward accordingly."

The hospital’s overall progress in the mental health unit is not in doubt, Vine said. Since November, the unit has sped up the rate at which it handles new patients and is seeing more children per week than previously.

She said she had no statistics showing that change.

Image credit

Also see:

Wait times too long for some (March 18th)

Mental health care more than hocus-pocus (March 17th)

IWK changes emphasize early intervention (March 15th)

Decision to dispense with 22 youth workers is disgraceful (March 15th)

22 layoffs in IWK mental health program (March 12th)

Mental health treatment for NS teenagers is in crisis! (June 10th, 2010)

Changing How We Look at Mental Illness and Changing Lives

A March 13th posting by Psychology in Action:

By Rachel

One in five children in the US suffers from mental illness, but less than 25% of those children actually receive mental health services. That’s absolutely terrifying, especially if you consider all the kids who have other psychological struggles but don’t meet diagnostic criteria for a psychological disorder. How many children then aren’t getting the help they so desperately need? What kind of effect is that having on the future generations of workers, leaders, innovators, educators, and generally just society? As a future clinical psychologist, this is shocking. How has the field failed? Don’t get me wrong, there have been great innovations and huge strides in understanding mechanisms of psychological disorders and developing treatments that alleviate some of the suffering, so why aren’t these kids getting helped?

The Problems

• The stigma associated with mental health problems and treatment is huge. The public has a very limited understanding of what psychological distress is. The media is flooded with stories about people with all sorts of mental issues doing terribly harmful things, like Jared Loughner who shot Arizona House Representative Gabrielle Giffords and eighteen others, murdering six. This is the poor and incomplete representation of mental illness that we get every day. As a society, we equate mental illness with the crazy criminals we see in the news. To some extent, we fault individuals for their own issues, attributing it to a lack of will power or just weakness or bad character. The stigma and blame actually keep people from understanding how prevalent mental disorders actually are and seeing how individuals suffering from them may not be at fault. Mental illness is not just Jared Loughner or Seung-Hui Cho the Virginia Tech shooter. It is also people struggling with severe depression leading to isolation or those with overwhelming social anxiety who fear making friends, among other things.

• People don’t know how to identify signs of psychological distress. Disruptive behavior disorders, like ADHD or conduct disorder, are noticed because they interfere in the classroom. Other disorders, like anxiety, can even be functional to an extent, leading to high academic achievement, but can also become so overwhelming to the point of a complete loss the ability to concentrate and learn.

• People don’t know where to get help or what kind of help is best when they figure out that there’s a problem. If they figure out what kind of help they need, financial burdens may make it hard for them to actually get help, especially in the age of managed care and reimbursement problems from insurance companies.

• Researchers aren’t doing enough to get their awesome treatments out there. Tens of millions of dollars are spent each year on developing and testing treatments that have the potential to change lives. Lots of published research trials support their efficacy, but still, they’re not getting out into the clinics and hospitals and to the people that need them most.

• The economic crisis and lack of advocacy from the public are leading to huge funding cuts for community clinics and research. All of the other problems contribute to this issue too. If people don’t believe that mental health is important and don’t believe that psychological treatments might work, they won’t push for funding to support the community clinics or increase research efforts to figure out how treatments can work outside of research labs.

What can we do to fix it?

• As a member of the general public, get informed about mental health issues. Learn what’s going on through websites, newspapers, or other venues. The New York Times has been running a great series called “Lives Restored” about people struggling with severe mental illness who have managed to positively change the trajectories of their lives.

• Spread the word about mental health needs. Talk to your friends about it as you learn. Share informative links with members of your community.

• If you are gateway personnel, like a teacher or school counselor or pediatrician, who is regularly in touch with children and families, learn the signs and symptoms of mental illness.

• As a mental health professional, psychologist, social worker, or whatever, spread the word about mental health services. Talk to gateway personnel about available resources, either online, books, or clinics, to help them refer those struggling in the right directions.

• Mental health professionals should also keep up on the literature. What is the research showing to be effective? How can that work be applied to inform the work you do?

• As researchers and treatment developers, form partnerships with schools and community clinics to understand their systems and needs. Work with them to integrate your research findings into their framework. Offer training and supervision opportunities.

• As a community, talk to government officials about mental health needs. Push for funding for that work. Really make a case for how important it is to identify struggles early and give people the skills to deal with them.

• As an individual, just try to alter how you think about mental illness and how you talk about it. The homeless man on the corner is not a schizophrenic. He is a man struggling with schizophrenia. See people as people who are suffering, not as a disorder.

There are a million other problems and probably even more solutions. We are at a crossroads. The need is great and it’s finally our chance to impact the outcome, whatever our small role may be.

Also see:

Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health Services in Cape Breton

Please click on the image to magnify it.

To download the entire booklet (PDF), please click here.

Capital District Health - Community Mental Health: First Visit

From the OurHealthyMinds.com website:

Community Mental Health has changed the way individuals access their services.

First Visit

On May 2, 2011, Community Mental Health changed the way individuals access their services. In the past, Individuals have often had to wait weeks or months to be seen. These changes will drastically reduce the time they will have to wait. Each Community Mental Health location will have a designated day or days each week when they will be seeing new clients. This new initiative is called First Visit.

First Visit is a simple, easy way for people with significant mental health problems or mental illness to access help from Community Mental Health. We do not offer emergency services. Call Mental Health Mobile Crisis - 429.8167 or 1(888) 429.8167 – or go to your local emergency department.

During your First Visit, you will see a therapist to talk about the mental health problem that prompted you to seek help; what helps your manage; and ways to build on your strengths and resources. If you need further assessment or treatment, this will be offered.

How do you book a First Visit?

We encourage you to contact your family doctor for a referral. They will receive information about your visit in a timely manner.

You can [also] book a First Visit [on your own] with one of our Community Mental Teams by calling on Monday (Friday if Monday is a holiday). Each of our locations has a specific day, or days, each week when new clients are seen.

Here are our locations and telephone numbers:

Dartmouth Community Mental Health
Belmont House, 33 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth
Tel: 466-1830
First Visit is offered on Thursdays.

Bayers Road Community Mental Health
Suite 109, Bayers Road Centre
7071 Bayers Road, Halifax
Tel: 454-1400
First Visit is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Bedford/Sackville Community Mental Health
Cobequid Community Health Centre
40 Freer Lane, Lower Sackville
Tel: 865-3663
First Visit is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Cole Harbour Community Mental Health
Cole Harbour Place
51 Forest Hills Parkway, Dartmouth
Tel: 434-3263
First Visit is offered on Tuesdays.

West Hants Community Mental Health*
89 Payzant Drive, Windsor
Tel: (902)792-2042
First Visit is offered on Tuesdays.

This service is offered through Capital Health and there is no direct cost to the patient. We provide consultation and individual and/or group therapy to people living with a mental illness or struggling with a mental health problem. We work closely with family doctors and community agencies.

First Visit is for individuals 19 years of age and older.

*West Hants supports adults, youth and children.

Also see:

Stats, research lead to sooner First Visit