Find Your 'Self-Culture"

Victoria Lorient-Faibish MEd,CCC,BCPP,RPE

Victoria launches her new book called Find Your "Self-Culture". Moving from depression and anxiety to monumental self  acceptance.

Seeing someone you care about spin out of control

Seeing someone you care about spin out of control

by CAMH Guest Blogger on November 22, 2013

In this guest blog post Wayne Skinner, Deputy Clinical Director in CAMH’s Ambulatory Care & Structured Treatment Program and Head of the Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario, discusses what friends and family can do when a loved one is suffering from addiction.It’s hard when someone you care about starts to spin out of control because of an addictive behaviour. You want to do something, but what?  You wish they would recognize the need to take action.  It would be so much easier if they would just admit the obvious, clean up their act, get some help. You might have tried persuasion, or predicted disaster, or made threats, had countless arguments, been blunt and confrontational – anything to avoid the coming catastrophe.  But it hasn’t worked. Your best efforts have left you feeling conflicted and at odds with the person you care about. Read More 

More Mental Health Services for University and College Students

Ontario Government Investing in Young People, Committed to Student Well-being

Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

Supporting our event

Supporting our event

Aboriginal Mental Health

The Aboriginal Mental Health

The "Agenda"  with Steve Paikin

The Agenda examines aboriginal mental health in the latest installment of our Mental Health Matters series.

Please watch video

Aboriginal Mental Health: The statistical reality

It’s well known that the Aboriginal people of Canada face a unique set of mental health challenges.² But what may not be so well known is that, in a 2002/03 survey, about 70% of First Nations adults living on reserves felt in balance physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. And, among Aboriginal people living both on and off reserve, those who did experience a mental health problem were much more likely than the rest of Canadians to seek professional help—a positive step towards healing. In some groups, the number of Aboriginal people seeking help was as high as 17%—compared to the Canadian average of 8%. These numbers would probably have been even higher if more mental health professionals were available in isolated areas.Read More

Off Course On Campus: The Student Mental Health Crisis

Off Course On Campus: The Student Mental Health Crisis

A growing number of post-secondary students face mental health challenges. Meet some of these students, find out how institutions are addressing the issue, and explore what needs to be done to better support the post-secondary student population. Read More. Watch video

The Student Mental Health Crisis

A growing number of post-secondary students face mental health challenges. Meet some of these students, find out how institutions are addressing the issue, and explore what needs to be done to better support the post-secondary student population. Read More

Mental Health and Wellness

Mental health and wellness encompass both the mental and emotional aspects of being - how you think and feel. Some signs of good mental health include:

• Knowing and taking pride in who you are;
• Enjoying life;
• Being able to form and maintain satisfying relationships;
• Coping with stress in a positive way;
• Striving to realize your potential; and
• Having a sense of personal control. Read More 
  
  
  

LGBT Health Issues

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people are as diverse as the general Canadian population in their experiences of health and well-being. Social determinants of health such as income, housing status and education level impact the health of all of us in different ways, and we all vary in how much we exercise, what we eat and what our genetics have in store for us. 

But there are some specific health issues that are generally more likely to affect LGBT people, and it is important to note that these increased health risks are largely a result of social marginalization and the stress of coping with prejudice and discrimination. 

Here are some of the health issues that are of concern to LGBT people:

Mental Health

There are many reasons why people may develop emotional or psychological problems during their lives, but LGBT people face particular challenges. Negative attitudes, discrimination and violence can contribute to mental and emotional distress for LGBT people.Read More 

One in six Canadians say they needed mental health treatment last year, StatsCan reports

We live in a society under stress and Statistics Canada has the numbers to prove it.

Almost one in six adult Canadians reported needing mental health care last year, according to a new report Wednesday from StatsCan. Not all received it.

The agency's release on mental health from its Canadian Community Health Survey. Read More

Canada's prisons becoming warehouses for the mentally ill

Canada’s prisons are facing a growing crisis as they become the “institutions of last resort” for people with mental illnesses, the Canadian Psychiatric Association says.

“Corrections [Canada]is not geared to deal with some of the needs of a vast population of people with major mental illnesses,” CPA board member Gary Chaimowitz told The Globe and Mail.

One in six Canadians said they required mental-health care in last year: Statscan

One in six Canadians believe they needed mental health care in the past year, yet a third of them did not get adequate help, according to a Statistics Canada report.

The report, released Wednesday, was the first of its kind and one that mental health experts say sheds light on the gap between supply and demand for services.

Mental and substance use disorders in Canada

In 2012, a total of 2.8    million   Canadians aged 15 and  older, or 10.1%,  reported symptoms consistent with at least one of the following mental or substance use disorders:  major depressive episode, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and abuse of or dependence on alcohol, cannabis or other drugs.            

        Over the course of the lifetime, rates of substance use disorders were higher than the rates for mood disorders. About 6 million Canadians met the criteria for substance use disorder, while 3.5 million met  the criteria for mood disorder.          

             Females had higher rates of mood disorders and generalized anxiety disorder than males, while males had. Read more             

The Facts On Mental Health

    

 In any given year, one in five people in Canada experiences a mental health problem or illness, with a cost to the economy of well in excess of $50 billion.1

Only one in three people who experience a mental health problem or illness — and as few as one in four children or youth — report that they have sought and received services and treatment.
 Of the 4,000 Canadians who die every year as a result of suicide, most were confronting a mental health problem or illness. Read More

Mental Health in Canada

  Mental Health In Canada

Mental illness is the second leading cause of human disability and premature death.

In Canada, mental health is the number one cause of disability, accounting for nearly 30% of disability claims and 70% of the total costs. Everyday, 500,000 Canadians (1.48% of the population)are absent from work due to psychiatric problems. Fifteen percent of people with serious mental illness are homeless at any given time and 30-50 percent of the chronically homeless have a severe mental illness. Read more

Mental Illness at Humber college

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Mental Illness

         
           The rate of students identifying as having a mental illness is dramatically increasing in Ontario’s colleges and universities. At Humber, we have seen a 41% increase over the past two years in the number of students who have registered with Disability Services on the basis of mental illness disability.

     Mental illnesses are difficult to deal with in any setting, but certainly pose even greater difficulties when trying to reach educational goals and learn effectively in a classroom. There are various obstacles, in the classroom and beyond, for those with psychological disabilities in educational settings and some of these are outlined below.

    In fact, students with mental illnesses “…did not regard their academic problems as the major reason for their failure to achieve post-secondary educational goals. Indeed, what stood out in their memories were financial problems, their own psychological problems, and barriers due to external circumstances in their personal lives.There are stigma and stereotypes connected to mental illness and students.

   Societal Myths - the idea that those with a mental illness are “crazy” or uncontrollable. Often perpetuated by the media, the fear of mental illness is widespread and many times discussed in everyday situations without regard for those who may suffer from a disorder.

     Classroom Expectations and Accommodations - students experience a reduction in expectations by their peers and sometimes their teachers when they reveal that they have a mental illness. The idea that they “do not belong” in an average classroom is often assumed with no regard to their academic capabilities. Furthermore, it is difficult for teachers to justify specially accommodating an individual who, unlike those with physical disabilities, appears not to require special services.

   Reluctance to Discuss Disability - Due to the pervasive stigmas regarding psychological illness, many students are hesitant to initiate discussion with their supervisors and teachers and therefore, sometimes go without proper accommodations.