Information sessions, self-help groups provide timely support

An article posted on March 11th by The Kings County Advertiser:

Kings County Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia board members Pat MacLean (left) and Margaret Burton are raising awareness of an information program and a self-help group in our community dedicated to offering support to the family members and friends of people living with mental illnesses. Photograph by Kirk Starratt.

By Kirk Starratt

Sometimes dealing with a mental illness can make you feel isolated or leave you wondering where to turn for support.

Recognizing a need to share information, provide support and help debunk the myths and stigma associated with mental illness, the Kings County Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia is offering a 10-session information program and a self-help group to reach out to affected members of the community.

“We’re concerned about the fact that families often are the key caregivers to someone with a serious mental illness,” board member Pat MacLean said. “It’s not always easy to get the information they need.”

Because of this, the society has launched the information program, called “Strengthening Families Together”. It’s free to attend and is geared toward family members and friends of people experiencing serious mental illnesses. The sessions are being held at the offices of the Kings County Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in Kentville. The first will be held Tuesday evening, March 24 at 7 p.m. and each runs for two hours.

The sessions will provide information about mental illnesses, skill-building and support. Participants will learn about early intervention and recovery, treatments and supports, coping with challenges of daily living, navigating the mental health system and the importance of taking care of one’s self.

‘Not talking about a few people here’

MacLean said it’s important to reach the general public with information on what is available in terms of supports and services.

“We’re not talking about a few people here,” she said. “A lot of people have serious mental illnesses.”

There are about 600 people in Kings County living with schizophrenia, about 600 living with bipolar condition and about 1,000 living with depression. However, because of the stigma, people often remain quiet and don’t seek help.

Board member Margaret Burton said that one in five people will experience mental illness at some point in life and the numbers are much higher when you consider how many people will be affected indirectly. She said that, as a society, they see three components to their work: advocacy, education and support.

She said her family took the “Strengthening Families Together” program and recognized a need for ongoing support for family members and friends of those living with mental illness.

This past fall, a group of family members from within the society formed a self-help group. All the members are people who have been touched directly or indirectly by mental illness.

Burton said families need information about mental illness and about the services that may be available to them. They need help in coping over the long-term with the illness and its consequences, including acquiring skills for problem solving, conflict resolution and stress management.

Confidentiality a must

They need support to be able to cope with the challenges of caring for someone with a mental illness as well as to be able to address their own emotional needs.

As with other self-help groups, confidentiality is a must. Meetings take place once a month at the CMHA offices in Kentville.

If you or someone you know might be interested in the information sessions or the self-help group, call the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia toll-free at 1-800-465-2601 for more information or visit www.blog.ssns.ca.

The society believes there is a greater need for understanding among members of the general public in order to overcome the myths and stigma associated with mental illness. They extend thanks to the Kings CMHA for providing their facilities for the information program and the self-help group.

Schizophrenia is a complex brain illness that affects one per cent of the general population and can be particularly devastating to young people. The Federal Kirby Report of May 2006, “Out of the Shadows at Last”, states that family members play an essential, sometimes lifesaving, role in caring for persons living with mental illnesses.

Almost 60 per cent of the families of people living with serious mental illnesses are estimated to serve in the capacity of primary caregiver, usually with little guidance, support, relief or respite.

Recovery is possible

An article posted October 3rd on NovaNewsNow.com:

The hidden face of mental illness

Tony Legere [pictured] doesn’t mince words when he describes his life as a young man. “Parts of it were hell,” he says.

Legere, 47, has battled schizophrenia, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder for much of his life. His illness manifested as early as age 14, when he started to pull away from his friends, began hallucinating and hearing voices.

For the next 25 years he shuffled between hospitals, psychiatric wards and the family home. To make matters worse, he began abusing drugs and alcohol. Relationships and job opportunities passed him by in his battle against addiction, lethargy, anxiety and debilitating depression.

“I knew there was something very wrong, but nothing I tried seemed to fix it,” he says. But even during his darkest moments – Legere attempted suicide several times – he held onto a kernel of hope. “I always had this burning feeling that someday things would get better.”

Mental health experts figure that as many as one in five Canadians suffer from a mental illness. With early diagnosis and proper treatment, thousands of Canadians have recovered from disorders such as schizophrenia and gone on to live successful, productive lives.

“There have been huge advances in the treatment of mental illness in the last 10 years,” says Dr. John Campbell, Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services at Annapolis Valley Health.

Unfortunately, widespread stereotypes about mental illness can be a barrier to getting help. “It is an absolute myth that all people with a mental illness are violent and dangerous,” says Pat MacLean of the Schizophrenia Society. “The tragedy is that on those very rare occasions when something terrible does happen, it’s often because that person wasn’t receiving treatment.”

Strong support system is important

That’s where a strong support system comes in. “My mother fought for me tooth and nail, even when I couldn’t fight for myself,” Legere remembers. By providing him with a place to live, encouraging him to seek treatment and supporting him through his relapses, Legere says his family played a huge role in his recovery.

So too did supports like The Beacon Program at the Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre, as well as organizations like the Canadian Mental Health Association, whose training and job placement programs help people with mental illnesses get their lives back. Nearly a quarter of Canadians aged 35-49 who have a mental illness are unemployed. “Getting people back into society where they can contribute is essential,” says Ron Peori, chair of CMHA, Kings County branch.

For every bad news story covered in the press, there are hundreds of examples of people who are managing their mental illness and living successfully, says Valerie Davis, manager of Community Support and Rehabilitation in AVH. “The irony is the stigma of mental illness means that the success stories are the ones we don’t hear about,” she says.

Thanks to accessing proper services and treatment, Legere is now in control of his mental illness and his addictions. He is married, has a job, and lives in a beautiful four-bedroom home.

He’s also giving back. He writes about mental illness for print and online publications, and speaks to community groups and schools. He appreciates initiatives such as Mental Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 5-11, for helping to bring mental illness out of the shadows.

“My purpose in life is to get the word out there that recovery from mental illness is possible,” he says. “Look at me; I’m now living the life I used to dream about.”

- Annapolis Valley Health

Photograph courtesy of Tony Legere.

SSNS - AGM 2008

The 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (SSNS) was held on Saturday, September 6th.

Two new SSNS Directors were elected during the AGM, Cynthia Crowell and Sharon Murphy. For a complete list of members of SSNS Board of Directors, click here.

Cyril Allan, president of the SSNS (right) with Stephen Ayer, executive director.

Lorraine MacDonald, president of the Cumberland County Chapter of the SSNS

Donna Methot, president of the HRM Chapter of the SSNS

Pat MacLean, Board member of the Kings County Chapter of the SSNS

Stephen Ayer chairs the Round-Table discussion after the AGM

During the SSNS Board meeting after the AGM, Dola AuCoin was elected as the SSNS's representative on the Schizophrenia Society of Canada's Board of Directors

Stephen Ayer, executive director of the SSNS

All photographs by Dachia Joudrey.

Inspiring Lives Awards

Ms. Gladys R. Wagner was nominated for an Inspiring Lives Award by Dr. Roger Cann and the Kings County Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia. The photographs below are from the Inspiring Lives Awards Luncheon held yesterday, May 7th.

Gladys Wagner

Gladys Wagner

Cyril Allan, president of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia

Stephen Ayer, executive director of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia

Rick Merrill

Photograph of the screen as Gladys is awarded her Inspiring Lives Award Nomination Plaque

Gladys goes to the podium to accept her Inspiring Lives Award Nomination Plaque.

Myrtle Corkum, executive director of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, at the podium microphone.

Gladys with her Inspiring Lives Award Nomination Plaque.

Gladys admires her Inspiring Lives Award Nomination Plaque.

Pat MacLean, Rick Merrill, and Gladys Wagner (left to right) after the Inspiring Lives Awards luncheon.

Click on the photographs to enlarge them.

All photographs by Harold Porter.

Pat MacLean - MICA Award Acceptance Speech

The following speech was delivered on October 2nd by Maxine McCuaig in Pat's absence:

Pat is unable to be here today because she is in Toronto attending an International Conference on Schizophrenia. She has given me the following message, which I will read to you now.

She says:

It is indeed an honour for me to be receiving this award. Thank you very much.

My involvement with mental illness and with the mental health system began in 1978, when my son was diagnosed with having schizophrenia, and was admitted to the Nova Scotia Hospital. He was 17. And in the 29 years that have passed since then, I have seen many changes.

One advantage in being around for so many years is that I have seen a number of positive changes and improvements in services that affect the ability of those with schizophrenia to reclaim their lives – and to realize that, for them, recovery is possible.

For example:

1. The arrival of new medications, with new ones yet to come, that control the positive and negative symptoms of the disorder, has brought individuals to the point where they can carry on with their lives.


2. We now understand clearly that the sooner a person begins treatment the more likely they are to move toward recovery.


3. I have seen the general attitude toward mental illness and to those whose lives are interrupted by mental illness improve tremendously. This has largely been brought about through discussion, interviews, and the education of the public by the media, and by groups such as the Schizophrenia Society and the Canadian Mental Health Association, as well as specific individuals, who have worked tirelessly to achieve positive results.
   
   Just recently, for example, CBC Radio, Toronto aired a series of programs over a period of a week that dealt with a variety of topics related to de-mystifying mental Illness. Also, our local CBC station has provided, during this year alone, many segments on local issues connected to living with a mental Illness.



4. And now, at last, after many years and much work on part of groups and individuals we now have a Mental Health Commission of Canada, chaired by Nova Scotia's own Michael Kirby.

There is so much happening that is positive. And yet, there is still much to be done - improvements in housing, access to treatment and therapy, and expenditures to increase and improve services to all Nova Scotians.

And, in spite of new and better medications for schizophrenia, there are still many, approximately 50 percent, of those with the disorder who do not understand that they are ill, and so refuse treatment. For these seriously ill individuals we need expert counselors and psychologists who can help them attain insight into their illness, and with help, be prepared to receive treatment.

We have all learned much over the past 29 years, and now we are well positioned to move forward into the future. There can be no going back.

Once again, thank you for this award today. It is very greatly appreciated.

I am very pleased to accept this award on behalf of Pat MacLean.

Photograph of Pat MacLean delivering a report at the SSNS's 2007 Annual General Meeting taken by Bill Gard.

SSNS members receive MICA recognition

Today the Mental Health Branch of the Nova Scotia Department of Health, in partnership with the Consumer Involvement Working Group, awarded Meaningful Involvement of Consumer Awards (MICA) to Patricia MacLean and Harold Porter. Congratulations!