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

Thursday, March 8th, 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.

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

Mental Illness and Self-Medicating

A Peer Support Group Meeting

Join co-facilitators Vince Daigle and Lisa Corra, as well as other members of the From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group, for a peer support group meeting on the topic of Mental Illness and Self-Medicating.

Organized through a partnership between the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia and the Healthy Minds Cooperative, the From Recovery to Discovery (FR2D) 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.

Healthy Minds Cooperative Newsletter - March 2012

Please click on the image to magnify it.

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

Also see:

Healthy Minds Cooperative

Tomorrow, March 2nd, 9:00 am!

Please click on the image to magnify it.

The Nova Scotia Hospital is located at 300 Pleasant Street in Dartmouth.

Also see:

Nova Scotia's Mental Health Court Program

The SSNS's 4th Annual Road to Recovery Walk

Supporting Families as Partners in Mental Health Care

Walk Together to Raise Awareness

Refreshments, Entertainment, Prizes!

Saturday, May 5th, 2012

12:00 noon to 4:30 pm

Olympic Community Centre

2304 Hunter Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Walking Distance is Five (5) Kilometres

Register online and raise pledges using your own specially designed webpage by visiting

www.Road2RecoveryWalk.ssns.ca

or

use our paper pledge sheet

To request a paper pledge sheet, please contact Donna Methot at (902) 462-8658 or by sending an email to hrmchapterssns@accesswave.ca.

To make a pledge for a registered walker, or to make a general donation, please click here.

If you would like to participate in the 4th Annual Road to Recovery Walk without collecting pledges, you must register directly with Donna Methot by calling (902) 462-8658 or sending an email to hrmchapterssns@accesswave.ca. The suggested donation for walkers not collecting pledges is $20, or $5 for non-waged or fixed-income folks.

Thank you!

Donna Methot

Chair, 4th Annual Road to Recovery Walk Committee

Sponsored By

Supported By

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

Stereotypes of mental disorders differ in competence and warmth

A February 21st posting by Neuroskeptic:

Please click on the image to magnify it.

Fighting "the stigma of mental illness" is big business at the moment. But does "the stigma" really exist?

As I said back in 2010:

There is a stigma of schizophrenia, and there's a stigma of depression, etc. but they're not the same stigma. We're told it's a myth that "the mentally ill are violent" - [but] no-one thinks depressed or anorexic people are violent. They think (roughly) that people with psychosis are. They have other equally silly opinions about each diagnosis, but there's no monolithic "stigma of mental illness".

Now a paper has come out which explores this idea in some detail: Stereotypes of mental disorders differ in competence and warmth. The title says it all : people have stereotypical views of people suffering from different mental disorders, but these stereotypes vary substantially.

To read the entire post, please click here.

Image credit

Also see:

Stereotypes of mental disorders differ in competence and warmth

Assisted Outpatient Treatment: The Data and the Controversy

A November 17th, 2011, presentation by Marvin S. Schwartz, MD, Services Effectiveness Research Program, Duke University Medical Center, at New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY.

Also see:

Community Treatment Order (PDF, Nova Scotia)

HRM Family Education & Support Group

Monday, March 12th, 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, March 12th, 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

A Caregivers Guide to Depression and Anxiety: The High Cost of Care

with

Roy Ellis
Bereavement Coordinator
Capital Health Integrated Palliative Care Service

Caregivers and family members with mental illness … sometimes its hard to know who's who … the constant work of caregiving can cause anxiety and depression. So what can we do? Are we fated as caregivers to suffer for our love? Is the very nature of love? And what about boundaries … at what point do we have to begin to put our own health first?

Join Roy for a lively discussion about the high cost of care.

In addition to his work with the Capital District Health Authority, Roy Ellis is a writer and a musician.

Image credit

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.

Support for Family and Friends of Persons Living with Mental Illness

Monday, March 12th, 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.

Landlords pitch in to help people with mental illness find housing

From the February 22nd edition of Information Morning:

The CBC's Rob North tells us about a new initiative that might make things better. [Note, the segment begins after a short advertisement for a podcast.]

Also see:

250 Homes

Community Living Initiative: The Bungalows

Pictou County Support & Education Group

Tuesday, March 13th, 7:00 pm!

Pictou County

Support and Education Group Meeting

Tuesday, March 13th, 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 will meet 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

Amanda Tetrault speaks at a Media Symposium

From the YouTube posting:

Amanda Tetrault, photographer, shares her personal experience with mental illness at the King's College media symposium.

Amanda Tetrault created a photographic book about her relationship with her father called Phil and Me. She shares her story from a lifetime with a father who lives with severe schizophrenia through captivating photographs.

Also see:

Phil and Me

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

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

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

SSNS Facebook Page

Canadians Need Better Access to Psychological Services

A February 6th media release from the Canadian Psychological Association:

OTTAWA, Feb. 6, 2012 /CNW/ - Today in honour of Psychology Month, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), the Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) and the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) joined forces to highlight the need to enhance access to mental health services in Canada.

Mental disorders are a leading cause of disability in Canada and represent a significant burden on the economy. It estimated to cost the Canadian economy $51-billion annually. Psychologists are the largest group of regulated and specialized mental health care providers in Canada. Yet Canadians, in particular those in lower and middle income levels, face significant barriers when it comes to accessing psychological services due to their cost.

"The services of psychologists are not funded by provincial health insurance plans which make them inaccessible to Canadians with modest incomes or no insurance" said Peter Coleridge, National Chief Executive Officer, of the CMHA. This is in spite of the fact that some of the most effective treatments for common mental disorders - depression and anxiety - are psychological ones like cognitive behaviour therapy".

The U.K. has invested 400 million pounds over four years to make psychological therapies more accessible, and Australia has also enhanced access to psychologists through its publicly funded health insurance plans" adds Coleridge. "Canada must do the same."

"It is vitally important that we look to the needs of the community when it comes to mental disorders and health promotion and that we respond to those in ways that are effective" said Dave Gallson, Associate National Executive Director of MDSC. "Our research has found that the lack of insured services prevents a majority of individuals with mental illnesses from seeking the support they need."

Next week the Government of Manitoba is hosting a mental health summit with a focus on children and youth. Seventy percent of adults living with a mental disorders experience the causes or onset of their disorders before age 18. Early intervention can make a dramatic difference in the course of a disorder and, ultimately in a person's life.

"Psychological services are proven effective in helping Canadians to manage and overcome psychological problems and disorders," added Dr Karen Cohen, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Psychological Association. "Canada's private health care insurance plans and publicly funded programs don't do enough to ensure Canadians have equal and adequate access to needed psychological service. Canada's governments and employers must do more to ensure all Canadians - regardless of income - can access the psychological care they need."
For further information:

Tyler Stacey-Holmes, Manager, Association Development, Membership and Public Relations
Canadian Psychological Association
613-237-2144, ext. 325 | publicrelations@cpa.ca

Bell Let’s Talk 2012: Join the conversation to support Canadian mental health!

On February 8th, 2012, for every text message sent and every long distance call made by Bell and Bell Aliant customers, Bell plans to donate 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs.


A video made in Halifax on January 28th, 2012:

Canadian Mental Health Association - Nova Scotia Division -- February 2012 Newsletter

Please click on the image to magnify it.

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


Also see:

Canadian Mental Health Association - Nova Scotia Division

Wellbeing: The continuing struggle to raise awareness for mental illness

An article published in the January 30th edition of the National Post:

By Melody Lau

In its first year, the Bell Let’s Talk campaign managed to rally more phone traffic than the 2010 Olympics moment when Sidney Crosby scored his famous game-winning goal, a previous Bell volume record. Now entering its second year, the campaign is bigger than ever.

The extensive five-year initiative aims to get people across the country talking about mental health, in order to create awareness and raise money to fund programs. This year, Bell will donate 5¢ to mental health for every text and long distance call made by a Bell customer on Feb. 8. Last year alone generated more than $3-million. Not with Bell? Then just hop on Twitter; every retweet about the campaign also contributes 5¢ to the cause.

“We’ve had incredible support from so many places, from our advertising partners but also from our competitors,” says Mary Deacon, chair of the project. “Just in terms of getting involved and supporting this initiative, we don’t know how big it can get, but all we want to do is do better than last year, and we’ve added so many new dimensions.”

Such forms of expansion include a heavier focus on local stories and experts, a more comprehensive website to help inform people about mental health and the addition of two new spokespeople. Joining national spokeswoman and Olympian Clara Hughes [pictured] will be actor-comedian Michel Mpambara and author, composer and performer Stefie Shock.

“Clara came forward herself and said this is something she wanted to be part of, which is remarkable for somebody obviously as busy as she is,” says Deacon, about Hughes’ role in the campaign. “She’s a remarkable human being and we’re excited to have two more spokespeople this year.”

“We wanted to ensure that the messages that we’re sending were going to resonate with our various audiences,” Deacon adds. “What we want to do is help bring a voice to mental health that it maybe hasn’t had before.”

At least one in five Canadians will suffer from mental illness in their lifetimes and Bell hopes this initiative will shine a light on the underfunded and highly stigmatized subject.

“We really felt that it was an area where we could make a difference,” says Deacon about the impetus behind Bell’s decision to back this cause.

Deacon has spent the past 25 years in the business of not-for-profits and 10 years specifically focusing on mental health issues. She is proud of Bell’s efforts, adding that, “it was really refreshing, for me, to see a company apply the same kind of talents and strengths to something that was charitable.

“At the end of the day what this means is more money for mental health programs all across the country which we really want to help.”

For more information on the initiative, visit letstalk.bell.ca

Photo credit


Statistics provided by Bell Canada:

• At least 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a form of mental illness at some point in their lives – every one of us has a family member, friend or colleague who will experience mental illness

• Mental health funding is modest relative to other health care issues – mental illness represents 15% of Canada’s health care burden but receives only 5% of health care funding

• Just one-third of Canadians who need mental health services actually receive them

• Mental illness is the number one cause of workplace disability in Canada – accounting for 30% of disability claims and 70% of disability costs

• Mental illness costs the Canadian economy $51 billion each year in lost productivity – every day, 500,000 Canadians are absent from work due to a form of mental illness.

Also see:

Bell Media Fuels the Conversation About Mental Health in Support of Bell Let's Talk Day, Feb. 8

Stefie Shock and Michel Mpambara join Clara Hughes for second annual Bell Let's Talk Day on February 8, 2012.

Healthy Minds Cooperative Newsletter - February 2012

Please click on the image to magnify it.

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

Also see:

Healthy Minds Cooperative

Colorado Voices: Harness the fear of schizophrenia

An opinion piece posted online on today by The Denver Post:

By Jean Trester

For four consecutive days, The Denver Post published pictures of Gabrielle Giffords and informed us that she is resigning from her office of U.S. Representative to focus on her recovery. If I were a U.S. visitor, I might wonder, "from what is she recovering?" Rereading the articles provides two hints: "massacre in Tuscon" and "shooting in January, 2011."

On day five, January 27, The Denver Post printed an "opinion" that had originated in The Washington Post. Gabby was wounded "allegedly by a deranged young man."

I know the culprits in the "massacre" are a gun, a young man, and a disease, schizophrenia.

In 1981, when President Reagan was wounded in an eerily similar act, the culprits were a gun, a young man, and a disease, schizophrenia.

The gun issue has been addressed (albeit ineffectively) through legislation and ongoing public discourse. (Please refer to The Washington Post "opinion.")

Young men, and women, too are to be nurtured.

What have we done with the disease schizophrenia?

We mimic brain addled cowards, hide in fear, and use euphemisms to describe the consequences of untreated schizophrenia. Please appreciate my arduous effort to restrain my cynicism.

I wish Gabby Giffords the epitome of medical treatment and Godspeed.

What I really wish is that the "shooting" had never occurred.

In the 1970s, we dismantled our state run mental hospitals, preferring community mental health care. We neglected to educate ourselves about major mental illnesses.

We need a comprehensive and concerted Public Health Policy to promote education for our entire population. Anyone who has contacts with adolescents or young adults should know the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia, should be comfortable with discussing these symptoms and assisting in find treatment. We teach sex education and heart health to middle school and high school students. Provide the same fact based information about major mental illnesses.

Schizophrenia signs and symptoms first exhibited are insidious and mild. Withdrawal from family and social contacts, confusion, inability to concentrate and insomnia, appear before florid hallucinations and dangerous delusions. If a college student, experiencing hallucinations, had been educated about major mental illnesses in middle school, he may be less likely to hide in shame and denial and more amenable to seeking treatment.

Anyone in our society should be able to say the word schizophrenia with the same ease and equanimity that we say poppycock, democracy, cancer, apology, Islam, Caucasian, AIDS, mulatto, thank you, etc. Accessing mental health care should be as socially acceptable and as readily available as seeing an orthopedist for a fracture.

I urge anyone who has experienced schizophrenia, has a family member or friend living with this disease, or earns a living caring for those afflicted to speak out, hold hands with our naive neighbors, harness our well-founded fears, and focus our energies on 21st century effective treatments and cures.

Demand science-based information, education, and research for better diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of schizophrenia. Like cancer, early diagnosis and treatment can thwart sickness and death.

Do it for our communities, our youth, and for Gabby.

Jean Trester (jrdtpost@gmail.com) of Centennial is a retired nurse.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.

Cumberland County Chapter of the SSNS

Tuesday, March 20th, 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.

Lunenburg County Chapter of the SSNS

Tuesday, March 20th, 7:00 pm!

In September 2011, the Lunenburg County Chapter moved its monthly support meetings for people living with mental illness, their family members, and friends, to Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 68 Alexandra Avenue, Bridgewater.

The sixth meeting in the new location will take place on Tuesday, March 20sth, 2012, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Meetings are every held the third Tuesday of every month, except during the summer months of July and August. For more information please call (902) 527-1893 or (902) 527-1692 or visit ssnslcc.blogspot.com.

Kings County Chapter of the SSNS

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

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

How antipsychotic medications cause metabolic side effects such as obesity and diabetes

An media release posted today by EurekAlert!:

Sanford-Burnham study suggests that many antipsychotics affect metabolism because they activate the TGFbeta pathway -- a finding that could lead to safer therapeutics for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia patients

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- In 2008, roughly 14.3 million Americans were taking antipsychotics — typically prescribed for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or a number of other behavioral disorders — making them among the most prescribed drugs in the U.S. Almost all of these medications are known to cause the metabolic side effects of obesity and diabetes, leaving patients with a difficult choice between improving their mental health and damaging their physical health. In a paper published January 31 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) reveal how antipsychotic drugs interfere with normal metabolism by activating a protein called SMAD3, an important part of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) pathway.

The TGFbeta pathway is a cellular mechanism that regulates many biological processes, including cell growth, inflammation, and insulin signaling. In this study, all antipsychotics that cause metabolic side effects activated SMAD3, while antipsychotics free from these side effects did not. What's more, SMAD3 activation by antipsychotics was completely independent from their neurological effects, raising the possibility that antipsychotics could be designed that retain beneficial therapeutic effects in the brain, but lack the negative metabolic side effects.

"We now believe that many antipsychotics cause obesity and diabetes because they trigger the TGFbeta pathway. Of all the drugs we tested, the only two that didn't activate the pathway were the ones that are known not to cause metabolic side effects," said Fred Levine, M.D., Ph.D. [pictured], director of the Sanford Children's Health Research Center at Sanford-Burnham and senior author of the study.

In a previous study aimed at developing new insights into diabetes, Dr. Levine and his team used Sanford-Burnham's high-throughput screening capabilities to search a collection of known drugs for those that alter the body's ability to generate insulin, the pancreatic hormone that helps regulate glucose. That's when they first noticed that many antipsychotics alter the activity of the insulin gene. In this current study, the researchers set out to connect the dots between antipsychotics and insulin. In doing so, experiments in laboratory cell-lines showed that antipsychotics known to cause metabolic side effects also activated the TGFbeta pathway—a mechanism that controls many cellular functions, including the production of insulin—while the drugs without these side effects did not.

Wondering whether their initial laboratory observations were relevant to the human experience, the researchers reanalyzed previously published gene expression patterns in brain tissue from schizophrenic patients treated with antipsychotics. What they found supported their earlier findings—TGFbeta signaling was activated only in those patients receiving antipsychotic treatment. Looking further, they found that the extent to which each antipsychotic drug activated the TGFbeta pathway in human brains correlated very closely with the extent to which those same drugs activated SMAD3 and affected the insulin promoter in their cell culture experiments.

The TGFbeta pathway also plays an important role in metabolic disease in people who don't take antipsychotic medications. "It's known that people who have elevated TGFbeta levels are more prone to diabetes. So having a dysregulated TGFbeta pathway—whether caused by antipsychotics or through some other mechanism—is clearly a very bad thing," said Dr. Levine. "The fact that antipsychotics activate this pathway should be a big concern to pharmaceutical companies. We hope this new information will lead to the development of improved drugs."

###

This study was funded by a gift from Mr. T. Denny Sanford to the Sanford Children's Health Research Center at Sanford-Burnham. Co-authors include Thomas Cohen, Sanford-Burnham and University of California, San Diego; S. Sundaresh, NextBio; and Fred Levine, Sanford-Burnham.

About Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute is dedicated to discovering the fundamental molecular causes of disease and devising the innovative therapies of tomorrow. The Institute consistently ranks among the top five organizations worldwide for its scientific impact in the fields of biology and biochemistry (defined by citations per publication) and currently ranks third in the nation in NIH funding among all laboratory-based research institutes. Sanford-Burnham is a highly innovative organization, currently ranking second nationally among all organizations in capital efficiency of generating patents, defined by the number of patents issued per grant dollars awarded, according to government statistics.

Sanford-Burnham utilizes a unique, collaborative approach to medical research and has established major research programs in cancer, neurodegeneration, diabetes, and infectious, inflammatory, and childhood diseases. The Institute is especially known for its world-class capabilities in stem cell research and drug discovery technologies. Sanford-Burnham is a U.S.-based, non-profit public benefit corporation, with operations in San Diego (La Jolla), Santa Barbara, and Orlando (Lake Nona). For more information, please visit our website (http://www.sanfordburnham.org) or blog (http://beaker.sanfordburnham.org). You can also receive updates by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

Contact

Heather Buschman, Ph.D.
hbuschman@sanfordburnham.org
858-795-5343
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute

Image credit

Also see:

Antipsychotics activate the TGFβ pathway effector SMAD3

Meet Halifax's Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team

An article posted on January 27th by CBC.ca:

Halifax's Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team is shrouded in secrecy.

They don't wear uniforms, they don't travel in marked vehicles and they keep the location of their headquarters a secret, to ensure the safety of the people working there.

Mary Pyche (pictured, centre), the program leader for crisis emergency services for the Capital District Health Authority, said the idea for a crisis team first started taking shape back in 2003.

"We started putting that proposal together to the department of health. Took a little while," she said.

"By 2006, we had the partnership up and running. We also included in the partnership the IWK as well, so that the service would offer crisis response in the community right across the age spectrum."

In a recent interview with CBC News, Pyche said the team handles about 1,000 cases a month. That's based on 300 to 350 people each making multiple calls for help to the team.

Pyche said 95 per cent of those calls are new — first-time callers or people who haven't called the crisis line for at least two months. That turnover is proof the team is successful, she said.

Mary-Beth Flory (pictured, right), a registered nurse and the clinical practice leader for the crisis team, spends her mornings preparing for when the team hits the road in the afternoon and evenings.

"Come 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the team sits down," Flory said.

"That's three clinicians and our two officers who are on for those hours. And we triage again where we're going to be going throughout the day — where we need to go first, what kind of supports do we believe the team is going to be needing to provide."

Halifax Regional Police support

Four members of Halifax Regional Police are assigned to the team. They work in plain clothes.

Const. Angela Balcolm (pictured, left), one of those officers, said a uniform wouldn't work in her job.

"We try to make people as comfortable as we can and of course, decriminalize mental illness," she said.

"We're there for the person's safety, not to look into any criminal matters."

Balcolm said officers operate under a memorandum of understanding, so they don't share what they hear on the crisis team with other police officers.

Pyche said the police officers give the team extra power.

"We knew if we could partner with police, that they had the authority to do wellness checks and we could go along with them," she said.

That police presence allows the team to respond when friends or family members warn about a person's deteriorating mental condition.

Not all 'lights and sirens'

Mary-Beth Flory said the team doesn't require family intervention to act.

"A person can refer themselves," Flory said.

"It's very easy access. It can simply be a phone call. A person does not need a referral from a physician or from a psychologist to access support, and that it is a wide range of intervention and services that can be provided."

For Angela Balcolm, working with the crisis team offers a different facet to police work.

"People watch TV and they see all the shows like Cops and all that," she said.

"Is that a reality in our work? Absolutely. Sometimes."

Balcolm said her work isn't all "lights and sirens."

"I think it's huge to see this program that is assisting people because the police role in this is huge — getting people, detaining people and taking individuals into hospital, if that's what needs to happen," she said.

Photograph by Blair Rhodes / CBC


Also see:

Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team

Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team (PDF)

Emergency Crisis Services - Mental Health Services - Cape Breton District Health Authority - Call (902) 567-7767

Strengthening Families Together - HRM

Ongoing!

Cole Harbour

and

Lower Sackville

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 HRM Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia
is hosting the next two sessions

Tuesdays

6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Bedford-Sackville Community Mental Health Clinic

Cobequid Community Health Centre

40 Freer Lane

Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia

Thursdays

 6:30 to 8:30 pm

Cole Harbour / Eastern HRM Community Mental Health Clinic

Cole Harbour Place

51 Forest Hills Parkway

Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia

Registration Is Free!

To register for either 10-week session, please contact Donna Methot by calling 462-8658 or sending an e-mail to hrmchapterssns@accesswave.ca.  There is still time to register for either of these ongoing sessions!

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

Recovery Quilt Raffle

Theme - Support

Draw Date - Saturday, May 5th, 2012!

Please click on the photograph to magnify it.

Help support the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia by purchasing tickets on a hand-made Recovery Quilt ($1,200 value). Tickets are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00.

To purchase tickets, please contact the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia by telephone at (902) 465-2601 or 1-800-465-2601 (toll-free in Nova Scotia), or send an email to ssns@ns.sympatico.ca.

The draw will take place during the 4th Annual Road to Recovery Walk held on May 5th, 2012, at the Olympic Community Centre, 2304 Hunter Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia Lottery Licence No.: AGD005716-11

Key facts and trends in mental health: Updated figures and statistics

Please click on the image to magnify it.

To download the entire document, please click here.

Also see:

The NHS Confederation

Mental Health for All Coffee House

Every Saturday, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm!

Bloomfield Centre, Rm 114, 2786 Agricola Street, Halifax

Please click on the image to magnify it.

Also see:

CMHA Halifax-Dartmouth Branch

NAMI Principles of Support

National Alliance on Mental Illness (United States)

Principles of Support

• We will see the individual first, not the illness.

• We recognize that mental illnesses are medical illnesses that may have environmental triggers.

• We understand that mental illnesses are traumatic events.

• We aim for better coping skills.

• We find strength in sharing experiences.

• We reject stigma and do not tolerate discrimination.

• We won’t judge anyone’s pain as less than our own.

• We forgive ourselves and reject guilt.

• We embrace humor as healthy.

• We accept we cannot solve all problems.

• We expect a better future in a realistic way.

• We will never give up hope.

Source

Yarmouth area attracts MDs

An article published in the January 3rd edition of The Chronicle Herald:

By Brian Medel, Yarmouth Bureau

YARMOUTH — Several physicians, including a number of psychiatrists, began practising in southwestern Nova Scotia during the summer and fall of 2011.

Three psychiatrists joined Southwest Health recently, bringing the number of psychiatrists to six in Nova Scotia’s westernmost health district.

All psychiatrist vacancies for the district are filled for the first time in more than 10 years, Southwest Health said in a news release.

Dr. Olufemi Banjo came in August, followed by Dr. Razi Hemani in September and Dr. Lourdes Soto-Moreno (pictured) in October.

"It certainly is good news, and hopefully we’ll hold on to them; there’s certainly the need," said John Roswell, a Digby Clare Mental Health Volunteers co-ordinator, on Sunday.

"It’s terrific if we have the full complement. Hopefully, it will mean that people get to see a psychiatrist and eliminate the lengthy wait process.

"It has been practically impossible to get to see a psychiatrist within six months, and it’s very heartening to hope that wait times may be decreased somewhat because of this."

The common wisdom is that 20 per cent of people will require psychiatric services or will experience a mental illness at some point during their lifetime, said Roswell.

The reporting of mental illness and the number of people seeking help has increased, he said.

Dr. Faten Germanus began working at a family medical practice in Barrington Passage in December. She is not yet accepting patients but an announcement will be made soon when she is ready to take on new patients, according to a news release.

Dr. Navdeep Mangat also began working in Digby General Hospital’s emergency department in December and will provide services at the Digby Well Womens Clinic starting this month.

And southwestern Nova Scotia residents with no family doctor but who have high blood pressure may take advantage of a new cardiovascular program at Yarmouth Regional Hospital, to be based in the facility’s wellness centre.

(bmedel@herald.ca)

Photo credit

Promoting Recovery in Mental Health: Mobilizing Knowledge & Strengthening Partnerships

Friday, March 23rd!

Whitby, Ontario

Please click on an image to magnify it.

To download a PDF version of the document, please click here.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) - Dartmouth

Thursday, April 26th & Friday, April 27th!

Please click on the image to magnify it.

To download the registration form (Microsoft Word), please click here.

For more information about ASIST please click here.

Blessings from schizophrenia? Believe me, they exist

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

By Anne Aspler (pictured)

There was a ticking time bomb in my head that deactivated at the age of 26: the probability of schizophrenia. That’s when, for first-degree relatives, the statistical likelihood of developing the disease drops from 13 per cent to that of the general population: 1 per cent.

My mom is afflicted with schizophrenia. Despite never having had signs or symptoms, I used to live in constant fear that, one day, I might develop it. The path of my life was driven by this fear. I overworked myself to ensure a livelihood that would enable escape from the stigma of mental illness and unemployment. Becoming a doctor seemed the best I could do to champion my own mental sanity, and to further understand an illness that has never made sense to me.

For some, Christmas aggravates their heart failure – all those salty holiday indulgences. For others, the season precipitates their “brain failure” – the stress, anxiety and loneliness is amplified by the process of reflection on years past.

For part of last year’s holiday season, I found myself on the crisis-psychiatry team at one of the busiest inner-city centres in Canada: St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto. “Crazy” became the new norm, all day, every day, suicide and self-harm an acceptable and prevalent psychological exit.

My worst moment of flashback to my own experiences occurred when I had to make a phone call to the Children’s Aid Society. I’d just spent an hour developing a good rapport with a newly divorced, newly unemployed, suicidal single parent – courageous in seeking help. Calling CAS was a decision that would result in the removal of her children from her home – at Christmas.

To me, it was the ultimate betrayal of her trust. I felt as though I had betrayed my own mother. Instead of going home for the holidays last year, I externalized my distress by going to Haiti as a volunteer physician working on cholera-relief efforts.

As early as Grade 3, I had an understanding of the societal taboos around mental disease. That year, our art-project assignment was to “depict your parent’s career in a drawing.”

My mom? Unemployed. And so I developed a knack for creativity. I didn’t understand exactly what was wrong with my mother, so making up a career for her wasn’t a big stretch.

In high school, my sister and I were recruited for a University of Alberta study of children with a parent who had schizophrenia. Enrolling in this was like facing my biggest fear. I was sure the survey would uncover that, secretly, my mental stamina of steel had been blocking out symptoms that would eventually resurface with a vengeance.

Quite the opposite happened: It was a first step toward freedom. Not only did they declare my sister and I mentally “healthy”; they did something far more important to me – they normalized the disease.

I understand now that “mentally healthy versus ill” is an often unhelpful dichotomy. The psyche of the population exists on a spectrum. Scientifically, we have constructed an arbitrary standard. Past a certain point of dysfunctionality, some will be labelled, recommended for therapy and medically treated.

The rest of us can retain our status as “normal” and obtain socially acceptable therapy in the form of free counselling from family members and friends, self-therapy in the form of reflection, and perhaps moderate doses of self-medication.

Even for one individual, mental wellness fluctuates immensely over time. Practising medicine has reaffirmed for me that there is not one among us who is 100-per-cent mentally sound in all day-to-day exchanges and decision-making. Most of us could probably cite one or two mental hang-ups they could do away with. Thankfully, we escape any permanent labelling and write these off as a mood, an anxiety, impulse or worry.

I realized I'm tired of the silence around mental illness. I'm tired of contributing to the stigma by hiding the reality that these patients are our sisters and brothers, our parents, our closest friends – the ones in our lives whom we love but don’t know how to reach out to.

The reality? My mother is a great parent. With age, I’ve come to appreciate that her demeanour has given me a positive outlook on life; and it has imbued me with an inordinate capacity to tolerate chaos and disruption. They are traits that have served me well as an emergency resident physician in Toronto and working overseas in resource-poor settings in South America, Asia and Africa.

It's also taught me to value my clarity of mind and to put it to use. It gave me the opportunity to benefit firsthand from Canada’s social safety network. It has bred a doctor and a teacher (my sister) who will be strong lifelong advocates for redressing social inequity.

To my colleagues who work with those affected by mental illness: Thank you for showing them patience and understanding and treating them as equals, even when society, or sometimes their own family, doesn’t.

My mom has really done her best. She’s spent her entire life struggling to cope with the mind inside of her, as well as to cope with the reactions of the world around her.

She’s amazing, really. My sister and I will probably try to micromanage her symptoms until the end of her days. But we love her. And we owe her and her illness everything.

Anne Aspler lives in Toronto.

Photo credit

Mental Health First Aid Roleplay Video

From the YouTube posting:

The Jack Project at Kids Help Phone, in partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada / Mental Health First Aid has produced this role play video. It outlines the need for mental health awareness and the Mental Health First Aid helping actions that can be used to support someone who is struggling.

The Honourable Michael Kirby speaks to the importance of peer support

From the YouTube posting:

Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the Honourable Michael Kirby spoke to the importance of peer support in the Mental Health Strategy for Canada at the Peer Project event in Ottawa on October 5th, 2011.

Putting the focus back on the patient

An article published in the December 1st edition of The Chronicle Herald:

IWK hopes to whittle down wait for youth mental health services

By John McPhee, Health Reporter

Add value and keep it simple.

It sounds like a business marketing pitch but actually it sums up an increasingly popular system for treating young mental health patients.

Two child psychiatrists from Britain have been working with staff at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax this week to see if the Choice and Partnership Approach will work there.

About 1,100 people are on the waiting list for child and adolescent mental health services at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. That wait can be as long as 18 months, compared with the standard acceptable wait of about a month.

"They’ve noticed some of their systems haven’t helped users as well as they would like," Steve Kingsbury [pictured], a child and adolescent psychiatrist based in London, said in an interview Tuesday during a break in the training session at a Halifax hotel.

"How you organize services (and) the paperwork you have to do? And I don’t think they could see any way of doing it better until they heard about this."

Kingsbury and Ann York, who also works in London, have taken the "reduce bureaucracy and focus on the patient" message to 11 countries in the past six years. They and other clinicians came up with the system as a way of tackling long wait times and unacceptable outcomes, York said.

"The central premise is how to design services to make things better for the young person and their family, a better experience and more effective for them. All the things we then do organizationally and clinically are around having them at the heart of it."

The usual treatment approach would see a doctor do a thorough assessment of the patient. But recommendations are often made based solely on such assessments, without finding out what makes sense to the family or the child or what they want, the doctors said.

The question of wants, not needs, is crucial to the Choice and Partnership Approach. If the patient is asked what they want, the list is usually short and can be addressed right away by giving the patient and family goals to work on at home.

"They wouldn’t be put on a waiting list for something," York said. "They would go away with an appointment in their hands to see somebody with the right skills to help them with the goals they wanted."

This method has reduced wait times at their London clinics from a year to several weeks. Similar successes have been reported in the countries where they have trained staff and managers. Those countries include the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Belgium.

York and Kingsbury came to Nova Scotia on the recommendation of a doctor now working in Halifax who underwent the training in New Zealand.

The IWK couldn’t provide an exact cost of the three-day session, but York and Kingsbury said they don’t charge full consultant’s rates. Rather they are paid the equivalent of what they would earn as clinicians in London. It is their first visit to Canada and they combined the working sessions with their vacation.

"It’s not our day job," joked York, who said they continue to work full-time as psychiatrists and devote an average of one day a month to their consultant work.

Sharon Clarke, clinical leader for mental health services at the IWK, said she was impressed by the Choice and Partnership Approach just from reading the material on the website.

"The exciting part for me is that they’re taking a business approach, in the sense of lean thinking, and using these ideas of demand and capacity to really be able to have an accurate assessment of what the needs are in the system — to put people in the right places, to do the right job at the right time."

The IWK will begin using the system in wait list interventions in January and it will be fully implemented by April.

(jmcphee@herald.ca)

Image credit


Also see:

The Choice and Partnership Approach Website

Evaluation Of The Choice And Partnership Approach In Child And Adolescent Mental Health Services In England