Aiming for zero: a new approach to suicide prevention
mental health
From Alzheimer’s to heart attacks, loneliness in seniors has serious health effects
Adult ADHD: A debilitating condition that’s often missed
Better coordination among primary and mental health care is desperately needed
ECT: Is stigma preventing better care for depression?
For more than a year and a half, Hank Greely, a Stanford law professor, watched as an elderly family member slipped further and further into depression. One time, when another family member said a chore would become a problem if it wasn’t done in the next week, the reply came: “there won’t be a next week.” …
Reframing our view of ‘unnecessary’ emergency department visits
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The future of mental health care? Apps promise to treat anxiety and prevent suicide
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Mental illness shouldn’t mean a shortened life
Serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, have a profound impact on the lives of the people affected by them. About 1% of the Canadian population has schizophrenia and 1% suffers from bipolar disorder, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. People with major mental illnesses also have higher rates of other acute …
Why are mental health disorders and addictions treated separately?
According to statistics from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, at least 20% of people with a mental illness also have a substance use problem. To Peter Selby, chief of the addictions program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, this number is very conservative. Laura Calhoun, provincial medical director of addiction and mental …
Lost in transition: the gap between child and adult mental health services
I first met “Alice” during my pediatric residency. She is a shy and articulate 17 year old girl, who has been struggling with depression since her early teen years. Over the past several years, she has been seeing a counsellor at her local pediatric mental health centre. She has learned to trust and rely on her …
The psychiatrist of tomorrow
Mental health leaders have the opportunity for courageous change as they assemble in Toronto this week. Psychiatrists from around the world will be attending the American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Meeting, and I hope that there will be serious and thought provoking conversation on the future of the specialty. As a neurologist, new to the mental …
Ontario families struggle to find services for children with autism
Linda Cheung, a mother of two children with autism in Toronto, counts herself lucky. When her now-teenage sons were diagnosed with autism, there were virtually no wait lists for some autism services. But her family still struggles at times to access the services they need, and sometimes pays out of pocket for these services while …
Drug treatment courts offer an alternative to jail for people with addictions
It’s not a flashy place. The Toronto Drug Treatment Court, tucked away in a corner of Old City Hall, has plywood sheets on the walls, wires dangling where ceiling tiles should be, and a microphone that only works sporadically. Today is one of the days it doesn’t. Justice Mary Hogan promises to speak loudly so …
How toxic stress is hurting our children
For most parents today, stress is a constant companion. Everyone’s heard of the dangers of high blood pressure, of chronic workaholics having heart attacks at forty, of harried professionals pouring themselves an extra glass of wine (or three) with dinner. Pausing at our desks or kitchen tables for an all-too-brief moment, many of us long …
Promising depression treatment may soon be available in Ontario
Helping families navigate the mental health system
Physician health: reducing stigma and improving care
John Bradford always prided himself on being psychologically tough. After all, he needed to be. As one of Canada’s top forensic psychiatrists, he analyzed some of the country’s most high-profile murderers including Paul Bernardo, Karla Homolka and Robert Pickton. In order to keep healthy and reduce stress, Bradford exercised regularly and played competitive squash and …