Nova Scotia Speech From The Throne

From page 10 of yesterday's Nova Scotia Speech From The Throne:

My government will improve support for individuals with mental illness, and for their families.

We will collaborate with mental health service providers to identify, monitor, and refer youth requiring mental health supports.

Community-focused living bungalows will be developed to provide appropriate, respectful care for individuals coping with mental illness.

Next month, the first mental health court will open and will help people who need counselling and treatment instead of being held in custody or put in situations where conflict may arise.

Vancouver judge: Community court works

An article published in todays edition of The Chronicle Herald:

By The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — It's the personal anecdotes that tell the story of Vancouver's community court for judge Thomas Gove [pictured].

One year after opening Canada's first court to fully integrate the legal process with health, housing and social services, Gove measured the project's success Thursday by recounting the impact on a drug addict who was nudged into a residential detox program while doing street cleaning as community service for theft.

Gove also spoke about a chronic offender, approaching 60 years old, who was in court on a theft charge.

With the assistance of court workers, he has held down a full-time job for the past six months and not committed any further crimes. Keeping that man away from crime is probably saving $100,000 a year in the cost to merchants, police, the court system and prisons, the judge said.

He recounted details, as well, about a case earlier this week that reflects how different the community court is from a traditional courtroom. The offender broke down in tears after the judge made a strong personal appeal to her.

``Don't you understand, all the people here are trying to help you?'' Gove recalled saying to her. ``What is it we are not doing right? What more can we do? What is missing?''

Vancouver's community court, located in the heart of the city's drug-infested, poverty-ridden Downtown Eastside, was opened one year ago with considerable fanfare.

The jury is still out on the new system. Statistics for the first year of operations have not yet been compiled.

James Threlfall, the acting chief justice of the provincial court, said Thursday an analysis of the impact of the community court on the court system will be completed later this fall.

But Gove, the presiding judge who has been involved with the project since it began, was positive about the court's track record so far.

The court has achieved ``real successes,'' he said in an interview. More cases are resolved sooner, offenders are required to make fewer court appearances, more appearances happen on the day they are scheduled, crime is reduced in downtown Vancouver and, he believes, the rate of reoffending has been reduced.

He was ``frustrated'' that more housing, detox centres and mental-health services were not immediately available for offenders, but he was reluctant to be critical.

The organizations are going in the right direction, he said, adding that more housing has become available in recent months.

Gove could not really think of anything the court should have done differently over the past year.

``The first year has been the experiment - how do we do this? The next year is going to be whether we really (pass) the test - how much impact are we going to have?'' he said.

Cases involving theft from autos, stores and homes, mischief, assaults, drug possession and shoplifting are heard in the community court, while more serious crimes remain in the traditional court system.

Gove said the court saw about 2,000 people in its first year. Around 25 per cent, according to a rough estimate, were repeat offenders.

Multidisciplinary teams devise a plan that is intended to respond to the offender's underlying problems, whether it is mental illness, drug addiction, homelessness or poverty. The court enforces the plan as an alternative measure to traditional court-imposed penalties.

In the first 10 months, 568 people were involved with social, health and mental-health programming, 209 received housing. Offenders did 6,055 hours of community service.

Photograph by Sam Leung, The Province.

Also see:

More than meds & beds

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

Re: "Suicide prevention: Time to get on with what works" by Stan Kutcher (Sept. 12).

Lack of treatment was acceptable in children’s mental health when we didn’t know the difference. However, it is totally unacceptable when the knowledge and proof of improved capability of sustaining a productive life is within a proper treatment plan, but lacks the dollars and commitment to provide it. All children deserve proper treatment without prejudice and stigma over their mental health issues!

It is time for the torture, neglect and abuse to stop. It is time for psychiatrists to stop delivering inadequate treatment proposals to parents and caregivers for their mentally ill children, because the province does not support the mental health needs of its young people, or perhaps, the hospital itself covers its inadequacy.

It is time for our government to invest more dollars into treatment facilities, with not just meds and beds, but with the educated, experienced staff and specialized treatment programs when prescribed. It is time for our children’s hospital to invest in a psychiatric unit and all existing mental health treatment programs, an art therapy program, music therapy program, "in house" psychologists and "on-call psychologists" when in-patient youth are in trauma episodes.

Actually, it is past time!

Sherry Beck Ramey, New Germany

Your Recovery Journey: Train-the-Trainer Workshop

On September 15th, the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia held a full-day train-the-trainer workshop for the Schizophrenia Society of Canada’s new and innovative program, Your Recovery Journey. The training introduced participants to a five-session peer-support program focusing on recovery from mental illness. The Your Recovery Journey program builds on the premise that there is hope, that people with mental illness can get well, stay well for long periods of time, and do the things they want to do with their lives.

The program is designed to be co-facilitated by people who themselves have experience with mental illness and have also experienced recovery in their own lives. Collaboration with a recovery-oriented service provider or a family member is also an option to consider for delivery of the Your Recovery Journey program.

The train-the-trainer workshop was led by Chris Summerville, CEO of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, and covered the content of the program, as well as providing helpful information and tips about bringing the program to life into the participant's communities.


Chris Summerville leading the Your Recovery Journey Train-the-Trainer Workshop in Halifax on October 15th.


A total of 39 participants attended the Your Recovery Journey Train-the-Trainer Workshop (a full house). In addition to those from HRM, participants from Kentville, Truro, Windsor, and Yarmouth were also in attendance.


Participants watch one of the videos provided as content in the Your Recovery Journey program.

Please click on any photograph to magnify it.

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia will be delivering Your Recovery Journey in Halifax beginning in mid-October 2009. Please contact Laura Burke at 465-2601, 1-800-465-2601 (toll-free in Nova Scotia) or ssns@ns.sympatico.ca for further information.

Photographs by Stephen Ayer.

The media must stop ignoring suicide

An article published in today's edition of The Windsor Star:

By Mark Henick, Special to The Windsor Star

On the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 25, a well-known former Fredericton city councilor walked into the Emergency Room with a lot on his mind. It is not known if he told them he was going to take his own life. Whatever happened in the ER, one thing was certain: He did not get rushed past the queue for immediate psychiatric care.

Instead, he ended up leaving, just walking right out the door. He called the police from in front of the hospital and, with phone in one hand and 16-gauge shotgun in the other, told them that he intended to kill himself.

To read the entire article, please click here.

Also see:

He was always looking for the good in people

What clients want from treatment: Quality of life issues top list of desired outcomes

An article published in the Summer 2009 issue of CrossCurrents:

By Hema Zbogar

The Schizophrenia Society of Canada has recently released the results of North America’s largest-ever poll of people living with schizophrenia. The Quality of Life Survey asked 1,086 mental health consumers and family members what quality of life means to them and what they perceive as barriers to its attainment. The survey found that people with schizophrenia have similar hopes and frustrations as the general population.

The survey findings challenge other quality of life research on people with mental illness that has focused heavily on clinical issues and managing negative life events rather than on the concept of recovery. The respondents’ views indicate that service providers, policy planners and funders need to move beyond a narrow focus on treating symptoms of mental illness to also supporting clients’ hopes and goals in the areas of employment, housing, economic security and freedom from discrimination and violence. Respondents also wanted more community-based services, family education and social and recreational opportunities.

CrossCurrents conducted its own informal survey of people with schizophrenia and their families to find out what they want from treatment and treatment providers, and what they want from life. We posed three questions:

1. Is there an aspect of your life related to having schizophrenia that treatment doesn’t address but that you wish it would?


2. What does a good outcome for schizophrenia treatment look like to you? In other words, what is the most important outcome for you?


3. Do you feel that the mental health professionals you have dealt with have different expectations and goals than you?
   

This is what some of our respondents, from across North America, had to say.

Byron, Toronto, Ontario

For me a good outcome means a return to relationships. The symptoms of schizophrenia often make it difficult or impossible to maintain and enjoy these necessary relationships. We, like everyone else, need the laughter, sharing, trust, companionship, and the perspective and objectivity that come from friendships and family. Sometimes as a sufferer of this disease it can be difficult to assess the veracity of our own perspective, to figure out whether or not what we feel and perceive is grounded in reality or is in part or wholly changed, shifted, modified by our disease. Surrounding ourselves with positive people gives us a sounding board. Without them it can be incredibly lonely. Thirty years ago it might have made sense to have lower expectations of people with schizophrenia because medication had such strong side-effects and many people were left undiagnosed and untreated. I’ve had several doctors who had clearly given up on me achieving the things I am now doing. One of them actually told my mother that she should “lower her expectations” of me. This was early in my recovery. If my mother or I had listened to the doctor I may not have believed in myself enough to make the efforts I have.

Mental health practitioners also need to realize that these outcomes occur in their own time and that progress may be slow and difficult to perceive, but that it is nevertheless happening. I’ve recently finished a redirection through education program with straight A’s. I socialize on a regular basis and organize social events; I’m learning how to live on my own; I have a girlfriend; I have creative and career ambitions; I make and keep all of my appointments. I’m getting closer to full recovery.

We shouldn’t be punished by unnecessarily low expectations because of assumptions that are based on old truths and old knowledge. Realistically and practically, hope for your patients to reach the stars, because they may need your belief and conviction to get there.


Tamara, Winnipeg, Manitoba

I am 26 years old and have been living with schizo-affective disorder for 11 years. The ideal outcome for treatment allows for good quality of life and achievement of goals and dreams. Being diagnosed with schizophrenia doesn’t mean we can’t achieve our goals and dreams. It just means that they require necessary adaptations and available opportunities.

Often people living with schizophrenia receive treatment in just one area of their lives and not others. The ideal treatment for schizophrenia includes necessary outlets such as having a psychiatrist for discussing medications and a counsellor to address issues inside and outside the realm of mental illness because mental illness affects all areas of life.

There should be more opportunities for obtaining education and career goals through adaptations and mentoring. I am a university student and have endured many obstacles over the past five years, but my family and workers believe in me and encourage me to pursue my goals, so that I may one day achieve my goal of becoming an occupational or recreational therapist.


Angela, Orlando, Florida

I was diagnosed with schizophrenia about four years ago when I was 25. A good treatment outcome is to be motivated to pursue life to the best of your ability. I wish more treatment would address how to cope with the real world. More education about the illness is helpful. We need awareness and ways to cope and challenge ourselves while living with this illness. Without constant motivation and sometimes even guidance there is little to look forward to. My advice to clinicians: Never expect too little or too much from your clients.


Natasha, Belleville, New York

I’ve had paranoid schizophrenia since 1991. A good outcome involves reduced hallucinations, delusions and paranoia to the point where we can function on the job or at home on a day-to-day basis. My ideal treatment for schizophrenia is a psychiatrist who will listen to us, educate us and our families and recommend supports and community resources. It is important that psychiatrists remind us that we can lead a happy, productive life. There is always hope of recovery, even if our symptoms don’t go away.


Jake, Boston, Massachusetts

No hallucinations and the ability to function without having paranoid thoughts is the ideal outcome. I would like better medication that can treat anxiety along with psychotic symptoms. I want fewer side-effects, especially weight gain and muscle stiffness. I’d also like to see more non-drug related treatments.


Anna, Seattle, Washington

I wish that more doctors would listen to the “patient” rather than telling them.


Raymond, Toronto, Ontario

Most psychiatrists focus on symptom reduction, without an image of wellness to drive a recovery-based model of care.


George, Annapolis, Maryland

Most of us with mental illness wish for a better life than just collecting disability. I want to work for a living and not be a disability recipient, even though I could live on the payments I get. Some of us gave up on work because of drug side-effects. I want more from life. I want more power. I want the power to be alive!


John, Regina, Saskatchewan

We need more coaching towards developing coping skills for school and work. On several occasions I attempted returning to school, only to drop out after I became depressed. I did try evening courses and when taking only one subject I often earned an A. Most of my learning since the psychiatrist advised that I should have “no more school” has involved self-teaching. Now, with supports in my life, I am successfully self-employed.


David, Winnipeg, Manitoba

I am 33 years old and have had schizophrenia for nine years. The best outcome is full participation in society, whatever the role. My goal was to find employment with an income that reflected my academic credentials and skills. I underwent psychological-social rehabilitation and now have a high-income job that matches my education and skills. My counsellor had the same view of empowering me to learn life skills (independent living, leisure, etc.) and to obtain and keep a job.


Dan, Midland, Ontario

One ideal treatment that doesn’t exist is medication that controls negative symptoms. I’ve had paranoid schizophrenia for 22 years (I’m 38), and my positive symptoms are under control with medication, but I’ve yet to find a drug that treats negative symptoms like blunted affect. I still struggle in my relationships and often would rather spend time alone. I also can’t concentrate the way I used to and was unable to progress in my education as well as I might have hoped. Negative symptoms should be as much of a priority as the positive ones.


Maureen, Toronto, Ontario

This morning I worked on an extensive survey for family members of residents of the supported home where my daughter, who has schizophrenia, lives. This itself speaks volumes. Staff welcome me and communicate with me about my daughter and the goals of the house for her. On the other side of the street, figuratively and literally, where my daughter receives treatment, I know nothing about her treatment and goals. I have never spoken with her doctor, though I have asked time and again, but I finally gave up.


Mike, White Rock, British Columbia

My daughter is 22 and has had schizophrenia for six years. The ideal treatment would provide constant support to both the person with the illness and the people who support them. Currently, support is sporadic at best for both. This illness is devastating, and without good support and education a successful outcome is difficult.


To download the Schizophrenia Society of Canada report, “Quality of Life: As Defined by People Living with Schizophrenia and Their Families,” visit
www.schizophrenia.ca/QualityLife.htm

Beacon for troubled daughter

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

Woman sees hope in centre being built for those with mental illnesses

By John McPhee, Health Reporter

Kim Clark spends a lot of time waiting for her daughter [pictured] to break the law.

It’s the only way she can get Koral off the street and back on her medication for paranoid schizophrenia.

"We are moving forward with the mental health courts and everything else, but trying to get a community treatment order in place is somewhat difficult at times," the Halifax woman said in an interview.

"The law does recognize them as independent and as an adult, although she’s not cognitively capable of making those decisions."

Ms. Clark hopes that a mental health transition centre under construction in Dartmouth will help people like Koral, 25, who has been on and off the streets many times over the past two years.

Work is set to begin this fall on four 10-bedroom bungalows at the former site of Simpson Hall at the Nova Scotia Hospital.

The hall was recently demolished.

The homes will serve as transitional spaces where people who have been hospitalized for treatment of mental illnesses can continue to receive care while practising the life skills they’ll need to live in the community.

Ms. Clark said the project will fill a big gap in the mental health system.

That system, she says, now leaves people like Koral on their own after being treated in hospital for mental health problems such as going off their medication.

"There’s no community support in the sense of re-teaching the skills that she needs," such as managing money, cooking and cleaning, she said.

"This new initiative will allow that transition and give them a higher sense of self-esteem.... When they leave, they will be a part of the community."

The former Conservative government originally announced the community living project three years ago.

Construction was expected to be finished last year at a cost of $6.7 million.

The plan was put on hold because bylaws prohibited construction of the homes on the desired waterfront site.

The NDP government is carrying through with the project, now expected to cost about $11 million because of rising construction costs and the need to demolish Simpson Hall.

The province has set aside $8,250,000 for the project.

The rest will be raised by the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia as part of its capital fundraising campaign.

That effort got a big boost Tuesday from IMP Group. The aerospace firm contributed $150,000 to the foundation’s Open Minds fund.

The housing will accommodate 40 people at a time, for periods of several months and possibly up to two years, said Dr. Nick Delva, chief of psychiatry at Capital Health, who also works with the Mental Health Foundation.

It’s meant for people who have serious mental health conditions, but they must be stable enough at the time to fit in a home-like environment, Dr. Delva said in an interview.

"The whole look and feel of the place will be quite different" from traditional psychiatric facilities, he said.

Each bungalow will have a kitchen and common area, and the bedrooms will have small ensuite bathrooms.

The project is part of a move toward community-based treatment for mental health.

Five outpatient clinics have been established throughout the district, Dr. Delva said.

Besides this restructuring, there will be a push for more funding from the provincial government.

Dr. Delva said the Health Department should devote at least five per cent of its budget to mental health.

The department now spends about 3.8 per cent.

Ms. Clark agrees more needs to be done, saying there are long waiting lists for mental health services.

As for Koral, her mother saw her Saturday in person for the first time in six months.

"She’s not in good shape at all," she said.

Over the years, Ms. Clarke has kept tabs on her through a network of family and friends.

With little money, Koral usually ends up living in rooming houses.

"It’s been a hard road, making sure she’s alive and safe," she said.

Also see:

Site Selection, Financial Contribution Boost Community-Focused Living Residences

Focus on training, not terminology

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

By Marilla Stephenson [pictured]

A DEBATE OVER whether so-called "excited delirium" is a valid condition is a waste of time. What is more significant — in terms of how police and jail guards react to it — is the risk of death for a person in this state and how to best respond when high-risk situations unfold.

Last week Justice Minister Ross Landry released a report from an expert panel struck to review the condition last year. The panel was formed in response to the 2007 death of Howard Hyde of Dartmouth. He died in custody after a struggle with police. He had been shocked with a stun gun by them 30 hours earlier.

A death inquiry, led by Judge Anne Derrick, is already underway and its outcome is separate from the report. A pathologist has already concluded that Hyde died of excited delirium — a condition the panel says would be better labelled autonomic hyperactivity syndrome (AHS) — and not from the stun gun shock he received the day before.

We can expect from the inquiry, at the very least, another truckload of recommendations targeting how first responders deal with mentally ill people. A doctor who checked out Hyde after he was shocked with the stun gun has already testified that she would never have released him to the police had she known he would not receive the psychiatric assessment she had requested. Hours later, he was dead.

Dr. Stan Kutcher, a psychiatrist at Dalhousie University, served as chairman of the panel. He told The Chronicle Herald in an interview that "the most important thing here is to realize that this is a medical emergency and that this situation requires the combined efforts of law enforcement and medical first responders."

Police and jail guards will get extra training to ensure they are better equipped to recognize the symptoms of AHS and to call in medical assistance in those circumstances, says Landry. This is one of the key recommendations in a report that contains many useful guidelines for moving forward towards better responses to people experiencing AHS.

Symptoms — which can lead to hyperthermia, cardiac arrhythmia and sudden death — include extreme agitation, aggressive behaviour, paranoia or delirium, incoherent and rambling speech, extraordinary strength, numbness to pain, and profuse sweating.

The report says that "mortality rates are increased in the presence of the signs and symptoms of excited delirium — even with medical intervention or in the absence of use of restraints by law enforcement."

The panel also found that "it is reasonable to consider that, when further stressed by physical struggle or the application and continuation of physical restraints (including the CED), an individual exhibiting the syndrome of excited delirium may be at increased risk for sudden death.

"Similarly, the pre-existence of a medical or psychiatric condition (such as a psychotic illness, pre-existing cardiac condition, delirium with or without the use of psychostimulant drugs) may increase the risk for sudden death in an individual showing signs and symptoms consistent with excited delirium."

That is the nub of the issue: People who suffer from mental illnesses that end up in a state of excited delirium are at an increased risk of death. While police and jail guards may well be the people who are first required to be on the scene of such a situation, additional training is clearly needed to ensure they know when it is paramedics, rather than restraints and a physical struggle, that is more likely to bring a safe outcome to the situation.

Police officers and jail guards are often in very challenging, high-stress situations, where public safety, their own safety and the safety of the person they are trying to subdue must be judged at lightning speed.

They must be provided with every tool possible to make the right decisions in those moments. If that means more training to properly assess, arrest and/or subdue people with mental illness, then it should happen as soon as possible. Calling for medical assistance should be considered a first option, not a last resort.

Even one Howard Hyde outcome is one too many.

Also see:

Vulnerable targets

Capital District Mental Health Program Community Teams (Outpatient Services): Wait List / Referrals / Wait Times -- July 2009

Please click on the image to expand it.

This and previous months are available by clicking here and using the pull-down menu entitled Mental Health Community Team Wait Times.

Also see:

Patient Satisfaction Survey Results 2007 (PDF)

More training in mental illness

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

Report: Emergency workers need latest information on excited delirium

By David Jackson, Provincial Reporter

Police and jail guards will get more training to recognize mental illnesses and how to deal with people afflicted with them, Justice Minister Ross Landry said Friday.

The province commissioned an expert panel last year to look at the phenomenon called excited delirium and what role it could play in in-custody deaths, to examine the risks of using stun guns and other restraints on people in that state, and to recommend how law enforcement officials should deal with those people.

Mr. Landry said the most significant recommendation in the eight-member panel’s new report is ensuring that front-line justice workers are trained to recognize people with symptoms of excited delirium, or as the panel suggests calling it, autonomic hyperarousal state.

The minister, a former RCMP officer, said officers do get training in dealing with people with mental illnesses but new information is always coming along, as with this condition.

"A couple of years ago, who knew about this?" Mr. Landry said in a telephone interview. "It’s not that long ago. And yet, people over time have passed away in this condition."

It was the death of Howard Hyde, a Dartmouth man who had a history of mental health issues, that led to the panel’s review. Mr. Hyde died in November 2007, 30 hours after Halifax Regional Police Tasered him when he scuffled with them at the police station.

The province’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Matthew Bowes, said Mr. Hyde died of excited delirium due to paranoid schizophrenia. Dr. Bowes said the death was accidental and he found no evidence that the Taser caused the death.

The death led to a provincial review of Taser use, and that led to the review of excited delirium.

The panel, of which Dr. Bowes was a member, said the symptoms of excited delirium are common to other medical and psychiatric conditions and recommended that the term autonomic hyperarousal state be used for people showing those symptoms.

Panel chairman Dr. Stan Kutcher, a psychiatrist at Dalhousie University, said there’s been a useless debate about whether excited delirium is or isn’t a medical diagnosis. He said the panel found the phenomenon well-described in medical literature going back 120 years, just under different names.

The symptoms include extreme agitation, aggressive behaviour, paranoia or delirium, incoherent and rambling speech, extraordinary strength and numbness to pain, and profuse sweating, the report said.

Dr. Kutcher said the key thing to keep in mind in dealing with people in that state is they need medical attention.

"I think the most important thing here is to realize that this is a medical emergency and that this situation requires the combined efforts of law enforcement and medical first-responders," he said in an interview.

The panel recommends creating a provincial training program for all first-responders in recognizing signs of mental illness and responding appropriately.

The report also says call-takers and dispatchers should get special training to help them recognize whether a call involves someone with a mental illness.

Dr. Kutcher said a dispatcher can get an indication of that by asking certain questions, such as whether the caller knows if the person they’re calling about is aware of his or her surroundings. The information would help a dispatcher know whether to send police and paramedics to the scene right away.

The panel recommended first-responders first try to calm the person in a hyperaroused state by talking to them, but if that doesn’t work, to restrain them quickly because a prolonged struggle could jeopardize the person’s life.

Dr. Kutcher said the panel couldn’t find scientific evidence suggesting that one form of restraint is better or safer than another, including stun guns. He said that’s why the panel recommended the province create a database on incidents involving the use of force.

Halifax Regional Police already adhere pretty well to the review’s goals, said Const. Brian Palmeter, the force’s spokesman.

"Our training and practices are consistent with the recommendations," he said.

"That being said, we are looking forward to working with the province to review and update our training where necessary."

Still, Const. Palmeter doubts there will ever be a single case in which an officer would be able to handle the crisis and follow all the recommended advice completely.

Mr. Landry said his department will consult with police, jail guards and sheriff’s services in developing procedures for dealing with people with mental illnesses. He said officers often have to make split-second decisions when dealing with people, so he wants them to have the information to help them make good decisions.


Joanna Blair holds a photo of her brother Howard Hyde, taken when he was in his early 20s. (BRIAN MEDEL / Yarmouth Bureau)


Dr. Hunter Blair, whose wife Joanna Blair is Mr. Hyde’s sister, thinks a dispatcher won’t always be able to get enough information from an excited caller to know whether to send an ambulance to a scene involving a person with mental illness.

The main issue, he said, is how to handle that person once you get there, and the review doesn’t seem to contain much new information.

"They’ve produced what you would have expected them to produce, given the current state of knowledge or non-knowledge," he said from his Shelburne home Friday.

He is happy with the recommended plan to track all calls to study the outcomes of various restraint methods and treatments.

"That’s a good move," he said. "They started doing this in Ontario some time ago."

Health Minister Maureen MacDonald said officials in her department will consult with district health authorities and Emergency Medical Care Inc., which provides ambulance services, about the report.


HANDLING EXCITED DELIRIUM

The following is a summary of the nine recommendations found in the Panel of Mental Health and Medical Experts Review of Excited Delirium:

• The panel prefers the term autonomic hyperarousal state (AHS) over excited delirium, which is confusing and incorrectly suggests a defined medical diagnosis.

• People showing signs of AHS should be considered at risk of sudden death by hospital emergency staff who should be trained to identify and treat them. Once restrained, these individuals should undergo a thorough medical examination. Hospital staff should be ready to resuscitate.

• When it comes to first-responders called to possible cases of AHS, whoever takes such a call should dispatch police and Emergency Health Services simultaneously. If police encounter someone who may have AHS, they should call for EHS and backup immediately. Officers should de-escalate the situation by removing potentially hazardous objects and people from the area and trying to calm the individual without challenging him or her. If restraint must be used, it should be applied quickly. Immediately take the person to hospital and monitor him or her along the way.

• When restraints are used, they should be the least restrictive means that would bring the subject under control. If such a person is restrained, it should be treated as a medical emergency and EHS should be called immediately.

• A database should be created to track the use of various restraint methods to see their effect on people with AHS.

• Studies should be done to review the relationship between the characteristics of subjects and the outcomes of different methods of restraint.

• There should be a unified provincial training plan to help first-responders recognize signs of mental illness and respond correctly. Dispatchers and other call-takers should be trained to recognize signs of mental illness.

• A formal protocol should be developed in each area of the province describing the role of law enforcement and health professionals concerning mentally ill people, including those with AHS.

• An evaluation process should be set up to evaluate the effectiveness of the above-mentioned recommendations.

Source: Panel of Mental Health and Medical Experts Review of Excited Delirium

With Dan Arsenault, crime reporter

Also see:

N.S. excited delirium report recommends first responders get more training

More police, paramedic training urged for excited delirium

Paramedics needed in delirium cases: report

Excited delirium is a real risk, Nova Scotia report into taser death warns

Excited delirium: Consideration of selected medical and psychiatric issues

Minister Releases Excited Delirium Report

A media release issued today by the Nova Scotia Department of Justice:

Department of Justice
September 4, 2009 11:31 AM

A report on excited delirium was released today, Sept. 4, by Justice Minister Ross Landry.

The province commissioned the 38-page Report of the Panel of Mental Health and Medical Experts Review of Excited Delirium in November 2008, to make recommendations to help law enforcement officers when responding to individuals showing excited delirium symptoms.

The report contains nine recommendations to develop new principles, protocols and procedures to deal with individuals who come into conflict with the law and display extreme agitation, aggressive and paranoid behaviour. It also outlines the need for further training and research.

The volunteer panel members included physicians, government staff and experts in the area of mental illness. Dr. Stan Kutcher from the department of psychiatry at Dalhousie University chaired the group.

"I want to thank the experts who offered their advice on this issue which is of great importance to those responsible for public safety and those who deliver medical help," said Mr. Landry.

Government will now consult other health and justice first responders.

The full report is available [by clicking here (PDF)].

FOR BROADCAST USE:

A report on excited delirium was released today (September 4th), by Justice Minister Ross Landry.

The province commissioned the 38-page Report of the Panel of Mental Health and Medical Experts Review of Excited Delirium in November 2008.

It contains nine recommendations to help develop new protocols for Nova Scotia's law enforcement officers when responding to individuals displaying excited delirium symptoms.

The province will now seek input from Justice and Health first responders.

-30-

Media Contact:

Sherri Aikenhead
Department of Justice
902-424-3313
E-mail: aikenhsl@gov.ns.ca

No kidding?!! Me too! (NKM2)

Also visit:

nkm2.org

twitter.com/NKMToo

How Can I Support Someone with Persecution Delusions

An August 24th post on the weblog, Overcoming Schizophrenia:

Recently, a reader asked how to support, or what to say to someone who has persecutory delusions and confides in them. I thought this question was profound. By investigating this question it could help so many people maintain or develop a trusting relationship with their relative, friend, or client, etc. I asked the opinion of my therapist, and she gave some pointers and asked me to remember a time when I was psychotic and what could someone have said to me to make me feel more comfortable...

When I was at my peak of psychosis everything was a sign from God - that truck making a U-turn meant go back, that taxi cab driver telling me to stay out of trouble meant he was in on it too. While I was psychotic I heard conflicting voices. When I would ask someone a question on the phone the voices would give different information. I was extremely paranoid. And almost everyone was a threat. I couldn't confide in relatives because they would tell my secrets, I couldn't trust friends because they wouldn't believe me. I couldn't keep a journal because someone would find it and read it. I was mentally trapped. I remember trying to escape from family, for reasons that I cannot make sense out of, but the belief was that they were after me, and I was scared.

Wondering about the city I spotted a man with a bike, (I thought to myself I could take his bike and escape from everyone), I asked this man questions about his bike. It was early in the morning and I wore a short sleeve top, he asked me if I was cold and gave me his sweater. I took the sweater then eye-balled his newspaper, I was anxious to know what day it was. He asked me if I wanted it and I said no (I don't know why I didn't take the newspaper). By this time I re-evaluated taking his bike, (this man must be an angel- he gave me his sweater because he knew I was cold, and offered his newspaper when I really wanted it, to know the date). We talked about nothing, I asked him random questions like if he was married with children. He told me he was divorced. I asked why didn't he have children, and he replied because his wife was on birth control. I felt at peace with this man. Finally, I told him I had to go and went my separate way.

If he had known I was psychotic and offered support I would have wanted him to say what my therapist suggested: "What can I do to let you feel more safe?" My therapist also suggested that an individual ask the person experiencing psychosis if there was another explanation for their situation, such as why the FBI would be following them or why their family or anyone would try to harm them.

It is important to show empathy by telling the person with psychosis that "I understand you feel like everyone is after you (or whatever the scenario)..." DO NOT PROMISE to keep information confidential because if that individual who confides in you is a danger to them self or to others I would strongly recommend that you contact a professional ASAP.

My therapist also said to try to maintain neutral facial expressions and tone of voice to not come off as threatening. The man that spoke to me was very kind, warm, and concerned for my well being. Also, do not encourage the delusions. Instead, remind them that it must be scary for whatever they are experiencing, but just show your concern for them and how you are there to support them.

I hope this post gave you some insight into how someone feels when psychosis takes over and what you can do to support them. I appreciate you for reading my posts and would love to hear from you- whether it be a question, comment, or simple "hello".

If you would like to learn more information about schizophrenia visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), or Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (Canada).

Thanks for this excellent posting Ashley!

Mental health court long overdue

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

By Marilla Stephenson [pictured]

THE TORIES MAY have promised it, the NDP may have delivered it and the Liberals may have backed it. But credit for this week’s announcement that Nova Scotia will finally establish a mental health court goes to the many justice system officials who have pushed for years, and then finally said enough is enough.

Remember the story of Jean Roberts, the 70-year-old Dartmouth woman who ended up in court for setting fire to her own apartment?

She was unable to properly care for herself, could not be cared for in a traditional nursing home and found herself in trouble with the law. She had been in and out of jail over an 18-month period after what her family described as a slow slide into dementia and mental health problems.

Sadly, during a court appearance, Roberts had asked to be returned to jail because she had nowhere else to go. But is jail really the right place for people like Jean Roberts?

In 2006, Judge Bill MacDonald said no, it was not. After releasing her from custody on a series of relatively minor charges, he ordered sheriff’s deputies to delivery her to the Health Department and to leave her in their care.

"Why should the criminal justice system have to come up with all the options?" the judge asked at the time.

"I don’t want to take the responsibility of putting her out in the parking lot. There needs to be a facility in our society to deal with people like Jean."

Since then, the previous Tory government did move to establish a transition shelter for people with mental health problems, though with just a handful of beds I doubt it is able to accommodate the needs that exist. Still, it was a start.

More recently, Nova Scotians have heard the disturbing testimony at the inquiry into the death of Howard Hyde, the Dartmouth man who died in custody in 2007 after police shocked him with a stun gun.

He suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, but was not sent for a mental health assessment as one doctor had requested after he had been taken into custody on a domestic assault charge.

But the long-promised mental health court has been slower to materialize.

The Tories had finally promised to have it in place April 1 of this year, but a delay was soon announced. Summer or fall was the new target. Of course, an election and a change in government soon followed.

Finally this week, Justice Minister Ross Landry, under the new NDP government, announced that it will open in Dartmouth in November.

Once a week — guess who? — Judge Bill MacDonald will hear cases that are recommended by a provincial mental health court team.

They will be diverted from the regular provincial court case stream, but will not include more serious crimes such as murder or sexual assault.

Landry says the new court will help to balance public protection requirements and the needs of those who suffer from mental illness and find themselves in trouble with the law.

"It ensures public safety, and at the same time ensures the accused’s health needs are met," said Landry.

The court will not hold regular trials. Those who appear in the mental health court will have given either an admission of guilt prior to a regular trial, or have received a guilty verdict in a regular court.

The intent will be to work out treatment options, and in some cases, charges could be withdrawn once treatment is complete, says Landry.

With the closures in past years of mental health residential facilities, more people have found themselves without the care options they need.

For some folks, this had led to life on the streets and an absence of needed medications. Landing in court on charges, followed by jail, should not be the only option our society can offer.

The new court is a long-awaited initiative that will require offenders to be responsible for their crimes, while offering a helping hand to those with mental illnesses so they can get on the road to better health.

Also see:

Mental health court: Delivering on Tory promise

New Mental Health Court to Open in Dartmouth

From the Nova Scotia Department of Justice website:

Justice Minister Ross Landry (left) tours the construction site of the new Mental Health Court which will open in Dartmouth, Nov. 2. He is joined by Stephen Ayer, Executive Director of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia. Minister Landry said the new court will help people who are in greater need of counselling and treatment instead of being held in custody or put in situations that may lead to confrontations.

Photograph courtesy of the Nova Scotia Department of Justice.

Nova Scotia sets up mental health court

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

Service intended to divert those who need help into treatment

By Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press

Nova Scotia is setting up a special court to divert some of the province’s mentally ill away from the criminal justice system and into treatment programs.

Justice Minister Ross Landry, standing in the gleaming new courtroom Thursday, said the new mental health court would balance the needs of the public and the mentally ill.

"It ensures public safety, and at the same time ensures the accused’s health needs are met," said Landry.

The once-a-week sitting at the court will not hold trials, but rather will serve as a setting where the court can work out alternatives to jail sentences and set up treatment programs, Landry explained.

Under the system, which begins Nov. 2, provincial court Judge Bill MacDonald will take cases recommended by a mental health court team.

The cases would include crimes normally brought to provincial court, like thefts and assaults, but not more serious acts such as murder and sexual assault.

The person being tried must either admit to the crime prior to appearing in the mental health court, or have been found guilty in a regular court and then referred.

In some instances, the mentally ill would have criminal charges against them withdrawn if they successfully complete their treatment program and fulfil the court’s conditions, Landry said.

The province’s handling of the mentally ill has come under scrutiny during the public inquiry into the death of Howard Hyde, who had a long history of schizophrenia and involvement with the courts.

Hyde died in jail on Nov. 21, 2007, about 30 hours after he was arrested for an alleged assault and Tasered during a struggle inside a Halifax police station.

Landry said he couldn’t say whether a mental health court system would have helped Hyde avoid his conflict with the law. But he said he believes that overall, it will improve the chances of treatment of mentally ill people who come before the courts.

He said a mental health court in Saint John, N.B., that has operated for over eight years has had positive results.

Statistics kept by that court for last year indicate that almost nine in 10 people using the court complete their treatment programs, and 86 per cent avoid further conflicts with the law.

However, during Thursday’s news conference the mother of a mentally ill man posed questions to Landry about whether the new court would be likely to accept people who have trouble recognizing their own illness.

Mary Elizabeth Greene, a Halifax-area social worker, told the minister her son has psychotic episodes and can’t recognize when he has done something wrong.

"He doesn’t believe he has a mental illness and he wouldn’t choose to go to a mental health court and there are many like my son who don’t have insight," she said.

The minister invited the woman to come to his office and talk, and said they would consult with medical experts. He said he hoped that once a mentally ill person receives treatment following a psychiatric assessment, he or she would agree to use the new court.

Greene said in addition to the courts, the province badly needs better group homes where her 24-year-old son could be monitored more often and treated.



Mary Elizabeth Greene watches as Justice Minister Ross Landry announces the province’s first court to help those with mental health issues during a news conference in Dartmouth on Thursday. Ms. Green’s son John Can­dow is in the mental health system as a patient.

Photograph by Eric Wynne, The Chronicle Herald.

Also see:

Hyde’s sister doubts mental health court would have helped

Justice Minister Announces Opening of Mental Health Court

A news release circulated today by the Nova Scotia Department of Justice:

The province's first court to help people with mental health illnesses will open in Dartmouth on Nov. 2.

The court was set up to help people who are in greater need of counselling and treatment instead of being held in custody or put in situations that may lead to confrontations.

"The government is seeking new ways to help those offenders who have mental health issues," said Attorney General and Justice Minister Ross Landry, today, Aug. 27.

"This court will look at the person and their illness, not just their crime when it comes to administering justice."

Two years of planning of the made-in-Nova Scotia court included input from representatives from police agencies, RCMP, Public Prosecution Service, legal aid, judiciary and several government departments.

The specialized court will sit one day a week at the provincial court building. Judge Bill MacDonald will hear the cases which have been recommended by the mental health court team as being eligible for the program. A team of mental health clinicians and lawyers will be at the courthouse to assess potential clients and assist with their needs through counselling and other support.

The mental health court program is based on the best practices of other jurisdictions, and is tailored to meet the needs of Nova Scotians.

FOR BROADCAST USE:

The province's first court to help people with mental health illnesses will open in Dartmouth on November 2nd.

The court was set up to help people who are in greater need of counselling and treatment instead of being held in custody or put in situations that may lead to confrontations.

Attorney General and Justice Minister Ross Landry says the government is seeking new ways to help those offenders who have mental health issues.

He says this court will look at the person and their illness, not just their crime when it comes to administering justice.

The court will sit one day a week at the provincial court building.

-30-

Media Contact:

Sherri Aikenhead
Department of Justice
902-424-3313
E-mail: aikenhsl@gov.ns.ca

Federal study to give homeless places to live

An article published in the August 25th edition of the Ottawa Citizen:

By Tiffany Crawford

A new federal project will look at helping homeless people with mental illness in five cities across Canada reintegrate into society by giving hundreds of them places to live.

The study, by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, will monitor a total of 2,225 homeless people living with a mental illness in Moncton, N.B., Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg over four years.

Of that number, 1,325 homeless Canadians will be given a place to live, including apartments and group homes, and will be offered psychological and social support to assist them over the four years.

The remaining participants will receive normal services, such as counselling and emergency shelters that are currently available in the five cities.

The participants will be selected next month, said research lead Dr. Paula Goering, who is also head of the Health Systems Research and Consulting Unit at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.

"It is a very exciting chance to learn. We have never done anything like this in Canada before," she said.

Goering said the budget from Health Canada is $110 million.

Candidates will get to choose from several options where to live, and be visited at least once a week by program staff. The researchers aim to prove that by giving homeless people a stable place to live, they will be able to reintegrate into society.

"If it's an apartment we offer rent supplements. But they might prefer to live in a group home," said Goering. "It's important to note that we aren't placing people, we are helping people with their problems."

The study will compare how much money the federal government spends on services for the people who have been given accommodation, compared to those using the regular services, for example policing costs, emergency room visits and shelter beds.

Goering said there will be no requirement for participants to give up drugs.

"Many of the individuals will have mental illness and addictions. We won't put restrictions on people to be dry or stop using and we will still house them and then offer them help with their problems."

Data from this kind of extensive research does not currently exist in Canada, according to the commission.

The research projects will end in 2013, and will produce a body of evidence to help Canada develop services to homeless people living with a mental illness, said Goering.

Photograph by Arlen Redekop, The Province (please click on the photograph to enlarge it).

Lunenburg County Chapter's Annual Barbeque

On Saturday, August 22nd, the Lunenburg County Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia held their annual summer barbeque at Big Mushamush Lake. Many thanks to Aubrey Zinck and Kaye Joudrey for hosting this year's barbecue!



Barbeque Masters - Dachia Joudrey (left) and Aubrey Zinck.


Please click on the photographs to enlarge them.

Photographs by Jan House

A step in the right direction

An article published in the August 21st edition of The News:

By Jennifer Vardy Little

STELLARTON – For Dale Robinson, a new directory to mental health services in the county is a dream come true.

Robinson is the president of the local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. More and more frequently, Robinson picks up the phone and finds someone on the other end who needs to know where to turn.

Now, the answers will be at his fingertips.

“The questions I get most often from people looking for services is where do I go and how can I access what’s available,” Robinson said.

“Now I have a tool to make finding those answers easier. I know my copy will be permanently on my desk.”

Robinson is talking about The Compass, a new mental health resource and directory developed by the Pictou County Health Authority in conjunction with the two community health boards.

The book features information about mental health, like how to recognize depression in teens, understanding seniors’ mental health, addictions and differentiating between sadness and depression.

It also features a complete directory of the services available in the county.

The book is the last of seven initiatives suggested by the community health boards in the community health plan released in 2006.

The book has undergone several revisions and was presented to local groups to get feedback on what the book should include. Thanks to those sessions, the book was further expanded to include topics like post-partum depression.

Carolyn Hemmings, a member of the Pictou West Community Health Board, says she feels blessed to have been involved with the project.

“This book is going to mean a lot to a lot of different people,” she said during the launch of the book at the Nova Scotia Community College on Thursday.

“People can go to the directory and know exactly where to turn to to get help.”

The book is free and will be available at doctors’ offices, pharmacies and departments at the health authority. People can call 752-7600, ext. 3316, to get their own copy of the directory.

Implementing Evidence-Based Practices for People With Schizophrenia

An abstract published in the July 2009 edition of Schizophrenia Bulletin:

By Robert E. Drake (1,2), Gary R. Bond (3), and Susan M. Essock (4)

1. To whom correspondence should be addressed; Psychiatric Research Center, 2 Whipple Place, Lebanon, NH 03766, tel: 603-448-0263, fax: 603-448-3976, e-mail: Robert.E.Drake@dartmouth.edu
2. Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH
3. Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
4. Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY
   

Over the last decade, a consensus has emerged regarding a set of evidence-based practices for schizophrenia that address symptom management and psychosocial functioning. Yet, surveys suggest that the great majority of the population of individuals with schizophrenia do not receive evidence-based care. In this article, we review the empirical literature on implementation of evidence-based practices for schizophrenia patients. We first examine lessons learned from implementation studies in general medicine. We then summarize the implementation literature specific to schizophrenia, including medication practices, psychosocial interventions, information technology, and state- and federal-level interventions. We conclude with recommendations for future directions.

Keywords: evidence-based practices / schizophrenia / implementation research

To read the entire article, please click here (free Medscape registration is required).

Posting of this abstract is for the purposes of research into schizophrenia and recovery.

Cannibis smokers have a seven-fold schizophrenia risk

Harper government devotes funds to studying the link between marijuana use and mental illness

An article published in yesterday's edition of The Toronto Star:

WINNIPEG – The Harper government is putting up $550,000 to gather research on marijuana use and mental illness.

The Schizophrenia Society of Canada will use the money to further research the links between cannabis and early psychosis as well as develop promotional materials warning youth about the dangers of smoking pot.

The money is part of Ottawa's $30 million national anti-drug strategy announced in 2007.

Chris Summerville, CEO of the Schizophrenia Society, said the public doesn't realize that cannabis users have a seven-fold increase in risk of developing schizophrenia.

He pointed to recent research out of Victoria, B.C., linking pot smoking and mental illness.

As part of the society's research, some 30 youths who have experienced psychosis will be trained to gather information about the reasons their peers use cannabis.

The results will be used to develop educational materials aimed at decreasing the use of illicit drugs among young people.

Winnipeg Conservative MP Joy Smith said Tuesday that while the public regards marijuana as a soft drug, there may be very serious consequences for young pot smokers who have a predisposition to mental illness.

"Science has shown that cannabis may actually trigger the onset of psychosis and may also intensify the symptoms for those who already have a psychotic illness," Smith said in announcing the grant.

"It has been suggested that up to 80 per cent of youth who have had a psychotic episode were using cannabis. And that's pretty shocking," said Smith, who was filling in for Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq at news conference.

Photograph by Rotbuche.

Climbers to scale African peak to benefit Laing House

An article published in the August 9th edition of The Chronicle Herald:

A group of six Nova Scotians is on its way to Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as part of a fundraising effort for Laing House.

The group — Henry and Rena Demone, Hans and Dani Himmelman, and David Kirkpatrick and Paula Taylor — is paying all its own expenses so that all of the more than $60,000 that’s been raised will help support youth living with mental illness.

The idea for the climb was born at the Laing House masquerade ball fundraising event in 2007. Each member of the group has had a friend, family member or colleague experience mental illness and wanted to come up with a unique way to support Laing House.

The house is a peer support organization for youth with mental illness. It opened in Halifax in 2001 and has helped hundreds of young people. It’s the only organization of its kind in Canada.

Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, is the world’s highest free standing, snow-covered equatorial mountain. The climb will begin on Sept. 11. To learn more, visit www.lainghouse.org.

Photograph by Paul Shaffner. Photograph used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License

System failing mentally ill in jails: experts

An article published in today's edition of The National Post:

Phase one of inquiry into Taser death ends

By Megan O'Toole

Phase one of an inquiry into the death of a Nova Scotia man who was Tasered while in police custody ended yesterday, and experts say the process has underscored a dire need for changes in the treatment of mentally-ill prisoners.

After five weeks of testimony and a number of controversial witnesses, including officers involved in the struggle to subdue Howard Hyde of Dartmouth, N. S., the inquiry has been adjourned for two months.

Testimony to date has shown a number of systemic flaws, observers say, including a severe lack of co-ordination between police and health-care services.

"There were a lot of balls dropped," said Stephen Ayer, executive director of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, noting the case underscores the need for police to be better trained in how to handle mentally-ill prisoners. "Right from the get-go, police didn't give Howard a fair shake."

The paranoid schizophrenic, who reportedly harboured a deep fear of police, was initially arrested for assault after an argument with his girlfriend, who told authorities Mr. Hyde had not been taking his medication.

At that point, Mr. Hyde should have been taken to hospital for assessment and treatment, Mr. Ayer said, but instead he was taken to the Halifax police detachment. Rambling and in a psychotic state, Mr. Hyde apparently attempted to flee after a booking officer took out a knife to cut the drawstring off his shorts.

That prompted a violent struggle, captured on surveillance video and shown during the inquiry, in which a shirtless and frantic Mr. Hyde screams and struggles to escape. Police say they were concerned he would reach for a knife from a nearby drawer of weapons, and shocked him with the Taser to regain control. He collapsed and was taken to hospital.

The use of a Taser on a paranoid schizophrenic person, as an aggressive act, "could have a tendency to make things worse, to have the issue escalate out of control," noted University of Alberta psychiatrist Patrick White.

While hearing testimony from a couple of the officers involved in the scuffle, the inquiry learned -- contrary to earlier official reports -- that Mr. Hyde had not been asked to co-operate as officers struggled to handcuff him, nor was he warned the Taser would be deployed.

Chris Summerville of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada said a better technique would have been attempting to talk Mr. Hyde down from his psychotic state, then handcuffing him once he had calmed down. Police should be trained for such situations, Mr. Summerville said, but in many cases they are not.

Mr. Hyde's girlfriend, Karen Ellet, has said he "was treated as a prisoner, not as a mental-health patient."

After doctors cleared Mr. Hyde to leave the hospital, they requested he have a follow-up psychiatric examination after his morning court hearing, or that he be returned to the emergency room -- something the officers were not authorized to do.

Neither happened, and Mr. Hyde ended up back in his jail cell, where he died about 30 hours after receiving the initial Taser jolt. Nova Scotia's medical examiner pegged the cause of death as "excited delirium" linked to his mental illness.

Carol Tooton, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association's Nova Scotia division, says the case could have ended differently had Mr. Hyde received proper treatment for his schizophrenic condition. The inquiry, she noted, has underscored a staggering lack of co-ordination between police, mental-health workers, courts and hospital staff -- resulting in a failure to properly deal with a man travelling between those systems.

"We often talk about working in silos," Ms. Tooton said. "It seems that [those] systems really do operate independent of one another."

The inquiry resumes in October, with recommendations from Judge Anne Derrick expected next year.

Zyprexa (Olanzapine) Class Action - Notice of Class Certification

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia suggests to its members that they should seek legal advice immediately so that they may be properly apprised of their rights, particularly because of the limited time within which a potential claimant may "opt out".



To view a high resolution PDF of the above document, please click here.

From the above document:

...

This notice does not constitute medical advice. Patients who have been prescribed Zyprexa should consult with their physicians if they have any questions with respect to their medical condition and should not stop taking Zyprexa without consulting with their health care professional.

...

IF YOU WISH TO EXCLUDE YOURSELF FROM THE CLASS PROCEEDING (“opt out”) you must deliver a written notice to one of the solicitors for the parties ... specifying your desire to opt out of the class proceedings. Notice of your decision to opt out must be received by either one of the solicitors by October 16, 2009.

ANY JUDGMENT OBTAINED ON THE COMMON ISSUES IN THE ACTION, WHETHER FAVOURABLE OR NOT, WILL BIND ALL CLASS MEMBERS WHO DO NOT OPT OUT OF THIS ACTION.

...

For further information, please click here.

Films attack mental health stigma

Posted online yesterday by BBC News:

To view one of the videos, please click here (the video appears after an advertisement).

To read the entire article, please click here.