MENTAL HEALTH: SPECIAL REPORT

From the March 8th edition of The Chronicle Herald:

Is the mental health system broken? Find out, starting in Tuesday’s edition of The Chronicle Herald.

The Articles and Videos

Much work to do (March 10th)

VIDEO: Health Minister Maureen MacDonald says mental health care is a priority (March 10th)

Real success or just a mirage? (March 10th)

Integrated care in community best, cheapest (March 10th)

Help just down the hallway (March 10th)

Mental health: Is our province’s system hurting or helping? (March 9th)

Desperately seeking help for Donnie (March 9th)

The long road to mental health (March 9th)

Mental illness problems common among homeless (March 9th)

Also see:

Spring Lake Ranch

Home on the farm: Working therapeutic farm communities (An article from the fall 2007 edition of Schizophrenia Magazine, PDF)

From Recovery to Discovery -- A New Peer Support Group in Halifax

Tomorrow, March 11th, 6:30 pm!

ALL ARE WELCOME!

FREE!

Living with mental illness does not mean walking alone.

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia has started a new peer support group named From Recovery to Discovery.

The From Recovery to Discovery 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 sharing our own wisdom and experience with each other, we are reminded to reach for hope and fulfillment in our lives, and to help each other to reach our potential.

Open to anyone affected by any type of mental illness, the From Recovery to Discovery group started meeting on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009, as an organic offshoot of the Your Recovery Journey program completed in Halifax during October and November 2009.

The format of From Recovery to Discovery meetings involves an interactive presentation on topics of interest to the group in the first hour, and a group discussion during the second hour.

Meetings
Every Thursday Evening
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

The Hub
2nd Floor, 1673 Barrington Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia



Thursday, March 11th, 2010

An Interactive Presentation
on both
Chaoyi Fanhuan Qigong and Emotional Freedom Techniques

by

Dr. Curtis Steele
Department of Psychiatry
Dalhousie University

Dr. Steele is a U.S. trained psychotherapist/psychiatrist whose interest is to facilitate the innate healing response that lies within people. He is a certified Transactional Analyst. Dr. Steele has had training with various master psychotherapists including Carl Whitaker, Milton Erickson, Bob and Mary Goulding, Muriel James, Virginia Satir, Jim Bugenthal, Les Kadis and Ruth McClendon, among others. He is skilled in applying innovative new techniques to the body of existing psychiatric and psychotherapeutic knowledge, particularly in the areas of spirituality and the energy therapies. Dr. Steele is also a passionate photographer; to view his work, visit www.cheerfuleye.com.

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

A Film Viewing and Interactive Presentation
on
Orthomolecular Medicine

by

Connie Littlefield

Connie Littlefield is an innovative film maker, who has produced a groundbreaking new film on the field of orthomolecular medicine. This movement, originated by the late Abram Hoffer, explores alternative approaches to treating mental illness. The foundations of this treatment involve very large doses of common and affordable vitamin supplements, which serve to compliment western medication, and augment potential for recovery. There will be a local naturopath (TBA) present to comment and answer questions on the content of the film.

If you have any questions, or would like more information on this exciting new group, please contact Laura Burke, 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.

Photograph of Barrington Street courtesy of Paul Darrow.

Photograph of Dr. Steele courtesy of CFQ Healing Qigong Society of Atlantic Canada.

Photograph of Connie Littlefield courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.

Lunenburg County Chapter of the SSNS

Next Tuesday, March 16th, 7:00 pm!

The Lunenburg County Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia meets the third Tuesday of each month beginning at 7:00 pm, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 25 Phoenix Street, Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. For a map, please click here.

Cumberland County Chapter of the SSNS

Next Tuesday, March 16th, 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.

Modest Investments for People with Disabilities and their Families in Federal Budget 2010: Update from CACL

Please click on the images to enlarge them.

Kings County Chapter of the SSNS

Next Wednesday, March 17th, 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.

March Presentation

Understanding psychosis: A discussion of new research findings

Dr. Phil Tibbo

Dr. Paul Janssen Chair in Psychotic Disorders
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University

Director
Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program

Medical Advisor
Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia

Open to the Public -- Refreshments

The December meeting will consist of a Holiday Season party. Meetings are not held during the summer months of July and August.

A Night in Renaissance Vienna

Wednesday, March 24th, 7:00 pm!

Please click on the image to magnify it.

Also see:

Halifax Housing Help

Brain Awareness Week

March 11th to 19th!

Please click on the image to magnify it.

'Spring' For Recovery

Friday, April 9th, 6:30 pm!

Please click on the image to magnify it.

Centre to study mental health, addiction, inequality

A posting from the Simon Fraser University website:

How do the intersections of gender, race, poverty and other social factors affect services and outcomes for people with mental health and addiction issues?

That’s one of the questions SFU’s new Vancouver campus Centre for the Study of Gender, Social Inequities and Mental Health plans to address.

The centre will investigate why there is unequal access to services and health outcomes for people with mental illness and substance-use problems.

It will also help develop programs, policies and interventions to resolve these issues, with the goal of improving adult mental health both in Canada and abroad.

SFU health scientists Marina Morrow [pictured] and Elliot Goldner and the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Howard Chodos will lead the centre, which will include more than 30 national and international co-investigators and collaborators.

Morrow, a community psychologist, specializes in research related to gender and mental health and mental-health reform.

"I would say women are still under-served—most services don’t take gender into account," she says.

"Yet within the female population, women are more at risk of sexual exploitation and violence, particularly if they suffer from mental health issues."

Centre activities will focus on mental health reform; recovery and housing; reproductive mental health; violence, mental health and substance use; and the criminal justice system, mental health and substance use.

"The centre has three main functions," explains Morrow. "To foster research in the key priority areas, to develop knowledge exchange that will encourage implementation of our research findings, and to mentor and train students and community-based researchers who can build capacity in the field of social inequities and mental health."

"There’s a pressing need for this centre," she says, "because there has been very little attention to the ways in which social and structural determinants affect people with mental health issues."

The centre is being funded with nearly $2 million from the Institute of Gender and Health, part of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Photo credit

Strengthening Families Together: Kentville

Beginning Tuesday, March 16th!

FREE!

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

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

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 for families and friends which provides information, skill-building, and support. The program is FREE and open to all family members and friends of those living with a serious mental illness.

You will learn about:

• Early intervention and recovery
• Treatments and supports
• Coping with challenges of daily living
• Navigating the mental health system
• The importance of taking care of yourself, too

The Kings County Chapter of the SSNS will deliver Strengthening Families Together at the CMHA Kings County Branch office, 49 Cornwallis Street, Suite 109, Kentville, Nova Scotia, beginning on Tuesday, March 16th, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and continuing for nine consecutive weeks.

For an outline of the Strengthening Families Together program, please click here.

Registration

To register for this 10-week session of Strengthening Families Together, please contact Pat at (902) 678-8458 or Penni at (902) 678-1229.

Quotes from participants of previous Strengthening Families Together sessions:

“I would like to say thank you so very much for taking the time and effort to have this program on Thursday nights. It has been a wonderful experience and I am sad to see it end.”

“This has been a blessing to me. I am very satisfied with my experience with the group, and my understanding of the health care options and support available to us has greatly increased. I would highly recommend Strengthening Families Together to any who will listen! Thanks.”

“Some solid strategies and ideas on how to help our son.”

“I feel this program is a wonderful launching pad; it equips us to participate in community events and gives us connections to others who are equally passionate about understanding mental illness. It’s a valuable resource.”

This Valley Life: Student speakers advocate for change

An article published in the March 4th edition of the Contra Costa Times:

By Jim Ott

Earlier this week, Dublin High School senior Annie Arcuri stood in front of more than 90 people at a regional Rotary breakfast in Livermore and shared a story about her older brother, Louis.

"I lost my older brother to schizophrenia," she said into the microphone, stepping away from the safety of the lectern. "He had been a straight-A student, a star athlete, but he became lost to an illness that no one wants to talk about."

To read the entire article, please click here.

Scientists identify age-associated defects in schizophrenia

A March 1st news release from The Scripps Research Institute:

Gene network-based analysis reveals unexpected results

LA JOLLA, CA – March 1, 2010 –The underlying causes of the debilitating psychiatric disorder schizophrenia remain poorly understood. In a new study published online in Genome Research March 2, 2010, however, scientists report that a powerful gene network analysis has revealed surprising new insights into how gene regulation and age play a role in schizophrenia.

Researchers are actively working to identify the direct cause of schizophrenia, likely rooted in interactions between genes and the environment resulting in abnormal gene expression in the central nervous system. Scientists have been studying expression changes in schizophrenia on an individual gene basis, yet this strategy has explained only a portion of the genetic risk.

In the new work, a team of researchers led by Associate Professor Elizabeth Thomas [pictured] of The Scripps Research Institute has taken a novel approach to this problem, performing a gene network-based analysis that revealed surprising insight into schizophrenia development.

The group analyzed gene expression data from the prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain associated with schizophrenia, sampled post-mortem from normal individuals and schizophrenia patients ranging from 19 to 81 years old. However, instead of just looking at genes individually, Thomas and colleagues at the Scripps Translational Science Institute, Nicholas Schork and Ali Torkamani, considered interactions between genes, as well as groups of genes that showed similar patterns of expression, to identify dysfunctional cellular pathways in schizophrenia.

"Once gene co-expression networks are identified," said Thomas, "we can then ask how they are affected by factors such as age or drug treatment, or if they are associated with particular cell types in the brain."

The gene network analysis suggested that normal individuals and schizophrenia patients have an unexpectedly similar connectivity between genes, but the most surprising finding was a significant link between aging and gene expression patterns in schizophrenia. The team identified several groups of co-expressed genes that behaved differently in schizophrenia patients compared to normal subjects when age was considered.

A particularly striking age-related difference in co-expression was found in a group of 30 genes related to developmental processes of the nervous system. Normally these genes are turned off as a person ages, but in schizophrenia patients the genes remain active. This critical finding strongly suggests that age-related aberrant regulation of genes important for development can explain at least part of the manifestation of schizophrenia.

Thomas explained that these findings help to refine the developmental hypothesis of schizophrenia, which states that one or more pathogenic "triggers" occur during critical periods of development to increase risk of the disease. Specifically, this work indicates that abnormal gene expression in developmentally related genes might be a significant pathogenic trigger, occurring over a broader time-scale than expected.

"Rather than a pathological trigger occurring at a critical developmental time point," said Thomas, "the trigger is ongoing throughout development and aging."

Furthermore, Thomas noted that the new study supports early intervention and treatment of schizophrenia. Treatment approaches aimed at averting gene expression changes and altering the course of the disease could be specifically tailored to the age of the patient.

###

In addition to Thomas, Torkamani, and Schork, authors of the study, "Coexpression network analysis of neural tissue reveals perturbations in developmental processes in schizophrenia," include Brian Dean of the Mental Health Research Institute (Australia). See Genome Res doi:10.1101/gr.101956.109.

This work was supported by the Scripps Translational Science Institute Clinical Translational Science Award, the National Institutes of Health, and a Scripps Dickinson Fellowship.

Interested reporters may obtain copies of the manuscript from Peggy Calicchia, Editorial Secretary, Genome Research (calicchi@cshl.edu; +1-516-422-4012).


About The Scripps Research Institute

The Scripps Research Institute is one of the world's largest independent, non-profit biomedical research organizations, at the forefront of basic biomedical science that seeks to comprehend the most fundamental processes of life. Scripps Research is internationally recognized for its discoveries in immunology, molecular and cellular biology, chemistry, neurosciences, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases, and synthetic vaccine development. Established in its current configuration in 1961, it employs approximately 3,000 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, scientific and other technicians, doctoral degree graduate students, and administrative and technical support personnel. Scripps Research is headquartered in La Jolla, California. It also includes Scripps Florida, whose researchers focus on basic biomedical science, drug discovery, and technology development. Scripps Florida is located in Jupiter, Florida.

Contact: Keith McKeown
kmckeown@scripps.edu
858-784-8134
Scripps Research Institute


About Genome Research

Launched in 1995, Genome Research (www.genome.org) is an international, continuously published, peer-reviewed journal that focuses on research that provides novel insights into the genome biology of all organisms, including advances in genomic medicine. Among the topics considered by the journal are genome structure and function, comparative genomics, molecular evolution, genome-scale quantitative and population genetics, proteomics, epigenomics, and systems biology. The journal also features exciting gene discoveries and reports of cutting-edge computational biology and high-throughput methodologies.


About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a private, nonprofit institution in New York that conducts research in cancer and other life sciences and has a variety of educational programs. Its press, originating in 1933, is the largest of the laboratory's five education divisions and is a publisher of books, journals, and electronic media for scientists, students, and the general public.

Photo by Dana Neibert.

Musical Benefit for Veith Street Gallery

Monday, April 12th, 7:30 pm!

The Wyndrock Quintet

presents

A Musical Bouquet!

Date: Monday, April 12th, 2010

Time: 7:30 pm

Place: The Music Room, 6181 Lady Hammond Road

Tickets: $20 ($15 for seniors 60+ and students)

An evening of music with flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and the grand piano.

Known for their wide repertoire of classical, jazz, ragtime, popular and opera, this ensemble will delight everyone. For music samples visit: www.myspace.com/wyndrockquintet and
www.wyndrock.altpro.net.

Proceeds will benefit the Veith Street Gallery and Studio Association serving artists with disabilities.

Limited seating, reserve early. Call Sheila Morrison at 429-8094 for tickets.

What patients think about involuntary treatment

Posted on February 26th by Mental Health Update:

All over the world large numbers of people are admitted to psychiatric hospitals. The laws governing this are controversial and in the U.K. are governed by the 2007 Mental Health Act. Most laws are based on the assumption that people who are compulsorily admitted to hospital do not recognise their need for care at the time so research has tended to concentrate on whether - looking back on things - people think it was a good idea that they received treatment. A team of researchers, led by Stefan Priebe [pictured] from Newham Centre for Mental Health, London led a study of 1,613 people in 11 different countries. They were interviewed within a week of admission and again after a month and three months. The number of people who were happy with the decision to involuntarily treat them varied a lot between the different countries and ranged from 71% in Italy to 39% in Lithuania after a month and from 46% in Sweden to 86% in Italy after three months. (The figures for England were 47% and 54% respectively.) Women, people living alone and people with schizophrenia were more likely to be unhappy with their admissions.

Priebe, Stefan ... [et al] - Patients' views of involuntary hospital admission after 1 and 3 months: prospective study in 11 European countries. British Journal of Psychiatry. March 2010, 196(3), 179-185.

Photo credit

Family Education & Support Group Meeting: HRM Chapter of the SSNS

Monday, April 12th, 7:00 pm!

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, April 12th, 2009

Time
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Place
Room 1234, Halifax Infirmary
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre
1796 Summer Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Agenda

7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Topic:
Schizophrenia & Cognitive Deficits

8:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Group Discussion

To download the HRM Chapter’s 2009-2010 Meeting Schedule, please click here (PDF).

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.

Photograph of Dr. Gardner courtesy of Dalhousie University.

McGorry urges mental health overhaul

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

By Julia Medew

The Australian of the Year, Patrick McGorry [pictured], has called for a massive overhaul of the mental health system to direct funds away from acute hospital services to more community-based care.

Only weeks after accepting his award, Professor McGorry has moved to capitalise on his role by asking the federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, for at least $200 million in new services this year.

On top of his list is a significant expansion of specialised treatment facilities for young people aged 15 to 24 who are experiencing early psychosis and other serious mental health disorders such as schizophrenia.

He said the only such facility in Australia, Orygen Youth Health, should be used as a model for 10 new centres in other cities this year, with a commitment to another 10 in regional hubs over the next five years.

The rollout would cost $100 million this year, he said, with recurrent spending rising to about $250 million a year when all 21 centres are operating.

"This investment will be recouped three times over because early intervention is highly cost-effective and rapidly shrinks the need for care in the medium to long term," he said.

"This will free up resources for the long-term disabled cases and the broader range of mental disorders. The health economics case is unassailable."

Professor McGorry, who directs Orygen Youth Health, said he had also asked for 60 new "headspace" centres, which currently provide mental health, education, employment and drug and alcohol services to young people aged 12 to 25 at 30 sites across the country.

He said this expansion, which would cost $100 million to set up and the same in recurrent spending, would make headspace centres the first port of call for young people showing signs of mental illness, who could then be referred on to the specialised treatment facilities if need be.

"This is a low-risk reform strategy with rapid and dramatic benefits in health gain and cost savings. Failure to invest in early psychosis reform will result in another lost generation of young Australians consigned to unnecessary disability as well as premature death from suicide and cardiovascular disease," he said.

Professor McGorry said he wanted to see the centre of gravity of mental health services shifted away from hospitals to community-based facilities because the sector had suffered enormously from being moved out of "asylums" and into hospitals in the 1990s. He said the transition was like "boarding a sinking ship" for mental health professionals who had struggled to work with scarce funds ever since.

''The acute pressure [on the hospital system] has made mental health budgets very vulnerable,'' he said. ''The mental health system needs to be scaled up significantly now. It needs to double in size and the states can't do it alone.''

Professor McGorry said that after consulting widely in recent weeks, he also hoped federal and state and territory governments would fund more mobile treatment teams for people with delayed recovery and persistent conditions so they were not forced to go to hospital emergency departments during crises.

"We need to disinvest in emergency departments as the place for acute and crisis care. EDs are the wrong places for people with mental health problems to be treated," he said.

Photo credit

MHCC receives major grant from City of Vancouver

A February 19th news release from the Mental Health Commission of Canada:

CALGARY, Feb. 19 /CNW Telbec/ - The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) has received a $500,000 grant from the City of Vancouver. The funds will help operate part of a research demonstration project on mental health and homelessness at a downtown hotel.

The 100-unit Bosman Hotel is being converted into supportive housing for some of the participants in the Vancouver At Home/Chez Soi project. It is part of the MHCC's four-year national research initiative.

The initiative is taking a 'Housing First' approach to finding the best ways to help homeless people who also live with a mental illness. Similar projects are being carried out in Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton. 2285 homeless people living with a mental illness will participate nationally and 1,325 people from within that group will be given a place to live.

"This is terrific news," said Mr. Michael Kirby, Chair of the MHCC. "It is wonderful to see such a strong commitment and we look forward to working with the City of Vancouver and other partners over the course of this initiative."

This latest grant is in addition to a 1.1 million dollar contribution to the project previously made by Vancouver's "Streetohome Foundation" (www.streetohome.org). That donation included a $275,000 grant from the "Vancouver Foundation" (www.vancouverfoundation.bc.ca). Both organizations are helping tackle homelessness in Vancouver.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada is a non-profit organization created to focus national attention on mental health issues. The MHCC does not provide services, but rather acts as a catalyst for action.


For further information:

Nujma Bond, Mental Health Commission of Canada, (403) 385-4033

Catharine Hume, Vancouver At Home/Chez Soi project, (604) 688-2204

Also see:

The Mental Health Commission of Canada Announces a Framework for a Mental Health Strategy for Canada

Gratitude as an Action Plan

A February 17th webinar, conducted by Carol Bailey Floyd (pictured), which was sponsored by the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery and Essential Learning:

Gratitude can serve to heal and help us move forward in positive ways. A daily acknowledgment of what is right in our lives can create the groundwork for mindfulness, confidence, self-esteem, and empowerment. Active recognition of the optimistic force of gratitude is a powerful approach to living. This presentation includes remarkable research findings about the benefits of using this simple, safe and uplifting wellness tool.

Carol Bailey Floyd, Director of Programs for Mental Health Recovery & WRAP, is a certified WRAP facilitator and trainer of facilitators. Well-known in the mental health field, she was the Project Coordinator for the University of Illinois at Chicago's WRAP Research Project in Ohio.


Downloads Available

PowerPoint Slides for Gratitude as an Action Plan

Recording of Gratitude as an Action Plan

Photo credit

Fatality Inquiry Into the Death of Howard Hyde -- Live Web-Cast and Video Archive

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (SSNS) has standing at this inquiry and is represented by a total of five lawyers, all of whom are working on a pro bono basis. The SSNS thanks Blair Mitchell (lead counsel), Angela Byrne, Michele Cleary, Marion Ferguson, and Sharmi Jaggi.

Howard Hyde

Adapted from the Nova Scotia Department of Justice's Howard Hyde website (the proceedings commence at 9:30 am on each day listed below):

Pursuant to the Fatality Investigations Act, S.N.S. 2001 C. 31

Presiding:
The Honourable Judge Anne Derrick of the Nova Scotia Provincial Court

Inquiry Counsel:
Dan MacRury Q.C., Chief Crown Attorney for the Cape Breton Region

Schedule:
The Inquiry has adjourned until further notice

Location:
Centennial Building, Hollis Street, 7th Floor, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Video and audio of the Inquiry will be streamed live on the scheduled hearing dates (above).

To view proceedings live, please click below:

LIVE WEB-CAST OF HYDE INQUIRY

To view archived recordings of completed proceedings, please click below:

HYDE INQUIRY ARCHIVE

Also see:

Howard Hyde Inquiry

Tuesday, February 2nd

Many clues Hyde was ill, expert says

Wednesday, February 3rd

Hyde's cause of death challenged