Mental Health

274 articles:
Depression
Anxiety
Schizophrenia
PTSD
by Keith Thompson

Making time for love and compassion in clinical encounters

What if we were to look at the five love languages in the context of the doctor-patient relationship. What if we replace the word “love” with “compassion?” How might this look within our dealings with patients?

Paying tribute to the good in our health-care system

There is immense work to be done in our fragile health-care system. But in honor of this World Health Worker Week, one patient living with bipolar disorder wants to pay tribute to all the goodness in health-care workers' hearts.

by Anne Borden King

Having breast cancer impacts sexuality: Why don’t we talk about it?

It's common for women to struggle with sexual health issues after breast cancer. But it isn’t just our bodies that change; the experience of cancer changes our relationship with time, aging and even the arc of life that we imagine for ourselves.
by Maddi Dellplain

‘Technology to help bridge the gap’: Smart homes and sensors ease caregiver burden

Smart home technology has become ubiquitous in recent years. Now researchers in Ottawa are finding ways to use this same technology to aid health-care workers, family caregivers, and allow patients to age in place.

by Ronald Worton

Context matters: Canada’s guidance on alcohol and health needs a rethink

The public should be given the right information to understand the risks associated with alcohol consumption. But Canada's new drinking guidelines leave something to be desired.

by Alika Lafontaine

There is no miracle cure to the health crisis – but here’s where to start  

Dr. Alika Lafontaine, president of the Canadian Medical Association, reflects on the problems and solutions facing a health-care system in crisis.

by Mary Sco.

Food and mental health: Happy gut, happy mind

The food we eat every day is the subject of an ongoing conversation between the bacteria in our gut and our immune cells. This conversation dictates whether we are taking one step closer to health or one step closer to disease.
by Ted Lo

 ​​MAiD mental-health debate should be about ‘agency’, not ‘autonomy’

I do believe that the option of MAiD may be good for a very small number of patients. However, I believe the issue is not about “autonomy” but “agency.”
by Abitha Suthakaran

Transitioning to inclusivity: Why OB/GYNs need trans care training

Both women and trans men may require obstetrics services. But many working in health care don't know how to appropriately treat trans patients. It is time we listen to the trans community and mandate transgender care education.

by David Heath

Surely, the time has come for psychiatric hospitalization at home. What’s holding us back?

Canadians are ill-served by their mental-health system. We must give them safe, effective options if we are to meet their needs appropriately.
by Dennis E. Curry

Psychiatry’s cognitive dissonance problem

Ottawa has decided to delay legislation that would expand MAiD to those with mental illness. But having a mental illness should not preclude one from decision-making related to suffering and end-of-life care.

by Raissa Amany Magdalena Rudz Carly La Berge Connie Trang

#codePink: Canada must protect mental health of our children and youth

The effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are still being felt, particularly for youth. There are 8 million children who deserve better access to mental health care in this country. It's time we did better.

by Micaela Harley

A polarized society unified by complex trauma

While we move into another phase of the pandemic, we need to attempt to heal our society by realizing that everyone is dealing with a similar complex trauma.
by Nickrooz Grami

Online sports betting: Governments’ risky gamble is a looming public-health crisis

Billboards, social media, televised sports – no matter where you look, the onslaught of online sports betting ads has become inescapable. But is it worth exposing an especially vulnerable portion of the population to the harms of gambling in order to increase government revenue?
by Talveer Mandur Margaret Hulbert Kamilah Haywoood

A 9-1-1 on health care in Ontario’s correctional facilities

Incarceration in Ontario’s correctional facilities is becoming more fatal. Deaths in custody have increased almost 50 per cent since 2020 despite a decreasing number of incarcerated people. Part of the solution could be the transfer of care from the Ministry of the Solicitor General to the Ministry of Health.
by Joanna Cheek

Smiling to death: The hidden dangers of being ‘Nice’

Gabor Maté's new book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture, explores how pushing down our anger and prioritizing the needs of others before our own are leading causes of chronic illness.
by Alon Coret

We all know about anorexia, but can we talk a bit about Binge Eating Disorder?

Binge Eating Disorder, or BED, is at least as common – though probably more common – than any other eating disorder but it often goes under-reported and under-recognized. People living with BED deserve a compassionate representation, along with appropriate, accessible and trauma-informed treatment and support.
by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Groundbreaking research into ME/CFS a pandemic ‘silver lining’

ME/CFS is a misunderstood complex chronic illness affecting more than 600,000 Canadians. For decades ME/CFS patients have been left without proper medical support. But now, with the wave of new post-viral illnesses from the COVID-19 pandemic, ME/CFS patients might finally see some answers.

by Nancy Lefebre

Why social impact matters: Reflections from a nursing leader

Investing in social impact is something organizations in the health-care field are uniquely positioned to do. We need to remind people of the “why” behind what we do and consider ways we can use our considerable economic and social power to be a force for good.
by Catharine Chambers Nicole Naimer Maddi Dellplain ... ...

The Faces & Phases of COVID-19

The Faces/Phases Project is a portrait of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Through a series of data visualizations, we cover the first two years of the pandemic.

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