Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-10-12T10:48:00.005-03:00

"The First Thanksgiving", painted by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930).

From Wikipedia:

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This feast is considered by many to be the first Thanksgiving celebration in North America, although celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops had been a long-standing tradition throughout North America by various First Nations and Native American groups. First Nations and Native Americans throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Cree and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America. Frobisher was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him — Frobisher Bay.

Idea of suicide ‘always there’

2008-10-11T08:49:00.005-03:00

From today's edition of The Chronicle Herald:

Laing House a safe haven for youth with mental illness. It’s where John Goodwin found health, hope

By Lois Legge, Features Writer

JOHN GOODWIN has thought about killing himself most of his life.

He wrote his first suicide note in elementary school. And lying in bed each night, he still imagines a bullet travelling toward his head.

"It’s kind of always been there," he says of the depression that’s plagued him since childhood.

It’s still there. But about four years ago, Goodwin found a little hope at a little-known house in downtown Halifax that’s trying to help him and others stay alive and thrive.

"I probably would have committed suicide" without it, he says on a recent day inside Laing House, an eight-year-old day-time support centre for youth with mental illness — most commonly anxiety, but depression, too, and bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and psychosis.

Youth is defined here as ages 16 to 30.

It used to be 17 to 24 but staff expanded the age range as membership grew. The three-storey house on Barrington Street — with meeting rooms and lounging areas; a painting room and full kitchen — now serves about 80 members who have often struggled with ostracism and poverty in addition to their conditions.

Goodwin’s been denied an apartment because of his mental illness and sees plenty of judgment elsewhere, a stigma he believes is intensified by media coverage or TV shows connecting mental illness with violent crime.

"Statistically we’re much more likely to be the receivers of a violent act; the receivers of trauma than we are . . . to cause a violent act," says the 26-year-old, who traces his own mental illness to a combination of genetics and being bullied repeatedly as a child.

But Laing House, he says, is a safe place, free of ridicule; a place that helps lift the "trance of unworthiness" he feels almost everywhere else.

"When you’re young and you’re struggling with an illness you feel so isolated and so alone," says executive director Shaleen Jones. "Everyone knows that if you’re a member here it’s because you have a mental illness so you don’t have to pretend anymore. When you’re here you can really be yourself . . . . So people form very fast relationships and really strong friendships here and that’s the core of what we do — creating opportunities for youth to connect with youth."

The centre also creates opportunities for education and employment and independent living, all often interrupted when mental illness takes hold.

The non-profit’s 14 staff work individually with members to help them find apartments or fill out resumes or apply for university. They’ve also organized things like cooking and painting classes or just been there to provide, as Jones puts it, "encouragement and cheerleading" — the kind of support founders Keith and Rosemary Hamilton envisioned when they set up the facility.

The Halifax couple — now retired and travelling around the world on their boat — created the centre after their son became mentally ill and they discovered how limited resources were for people like him. And they named the house after Rosemary Hamilton’s mother Nora Laing, a nurse who suffered from schizophrenia most of her life and left her family an unexpected inheritance when she died.

Stationed in Hong Kong during the Second World War, Laing had purchased shares in a bank there and forgotten about them for years. But when the Hamiltons inherited the shares, they used the money for Laing House, a place — Jones says — “where young people living with mental illness could go and be supported and encouraged and take steps to rebuild their lives."

The members themselves have direct involvement in how the programs work and often help create them, which is crucial, Jones says, for people “who have had so many of their decisions taken away from them due to the fact that they’ve been ill."

Goodwin can’t remember ever not being mentally ill, although he’s tried to block out some of the early childhood experiences he thinks played a role in his chronic depression.

But he recalls being hit in the temple with a pool cue by a high school student who was trying to get into a gang. He remembers a girl trying to run him over with her car. And he remembers plenty of other confidence-destroying words and deeds he doesn’t want in print.

Even as early as pre-school, he says, “I can remember . . . sitting alone; that I was scared of the other kids."

“Around Grade 2 or Grade 3 I was writing a suicide note at my babysitter’s, which is really early for most people because usually it comes along at 16 or 17 . . . . (It said) just that I was worthless and . . . I didn’t deserve to live, stuff like that." By the time Goodwin reached high school, he thought about killing himself all the time.

“I felt worthless and I felt I wasn’t worth being around and I was quite frankly a piece of shit and that I didn’t deserve regular things . . . .
“I spent . . . at least half a year that I just dropped out of school completely . . . in the late ’90s . . . 2000, something like that. I would have been in high school. I sat in my room all day. Well, I’d sleep all day and I’d stay up all night because then I didn’t have to deal with people . . . I’d just play on the computer for probably six months straight. I’d leave the room to eat and use the washroom but other than that I stayed in my room all the time."

Goodwin eventually went back, graduated and started university, studying at Mount Saint Vincent. But he dropped out and is now — thanks to three different medications and support from Laing House —in the process of trying to start a public relations degree through distance education.

He’d just finished day treatment at the Abbie J. Lane Memorial hospital when he first came to Laing House (www.lainghouse.org) four years ago. And he says the timing saved his life. He’d been in a major car accident (a car hit him while he was riding a bike) and broken both wrists. He didn’t have any friends. But the people he met here, including his now ex-girlfriend who is still a friend, helped him with everything from eating to opening doors.

“If I hadn’t had those people then that depression would have continued, that depression would have got worse . . . and I would have fallen back . . . and I would have probably committed suicide."

Goodwin still has dark thoughts. But these days he gets some of them out on canvas, painting brilliantly-coloured mosaics that everyone tells him they love (although he wonders if they’re just being nice); and speaking to school and university students about mental illness — which Jones says affects one in five young Canadians.

“The earlier mental illness can be dealt with, the less likely it is to have a debilitating effect (and) of those five kids, only one of those five kids is going to get the help they need."

But 80 per cent of those who do receive support, she says, go on to live productive lives.

Goodwin hopes speaking publicly about his struggles will encourage others to get past the stigma and get the support they need.

In the meantime it’s helping him feel things he’s never felt before.

“I personally have spoken to about 4,000 students . . . . It’s a kind of a confidence builder because people are hanging on your every word while you’re telling your story, and for someone who at one point . . . had failed classes because I had to get up and speak . . . it’s kind of empowering."

10th Annual Mosaic for Mental Health - October 15th to 26th

2008-10-09T17:12:00.002-03:00

Click on the image to magnify it.

Research chair named

2008-10-09T09:04:00.005-03:00

From the today's edition of The Chronicle Herald:

A psychiatrist now working at Dalhousie University hopes his work will lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatment for people living with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia.

Dr. Philip Tibbo [pictured], who previously worked at the University of Alberta, was named Tuesday to the Dr. Paul Janssen Chair in Psychotic Disorders.

The position is funded by a $1-million contribution from drug-maker Janssen-Ortho Inc. and $500,000 from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia.

Speaking at Wednesday’s announcement of new transitional housing for people recovering from mental illness, Dr. Nick Delva of Dal’s department of psychiatry called Dr. Tibbo an experienced and capable researcher as well as an excellent doctor and teacher.

Photograph courtesy of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.

Site Selection, Financial Contribution Boost Community-Focused Living Residences

2008-10-08T22:09:00.006-03:00

Today's news release from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia:

Nova Scotians recovering from mental illness received a tremendous boost today as Health Minister Chris d'Entremont announced the site selection for new community-focused living residences and RBC contributed $150,000 towards their construction.

Simpson Hall, the former nurses' residence at the Nova Scotia Hospital site, will be removed to make way for four 10-bedroom residential-style bungalows for patients who need support to help them make the transition back into the community.

"A new model of mental health care is emerging; it is one that moves away from costly hospital and institutional-based care and towards community-based care that supports self-determination and integration," said Minister d'Entremont. "When services are provided in the community, support to mental health patients increases and recovery and reintegration accelerate."

The community-focused living residences are an expansion of government's commitment to improving access to appropriate mental health services across the province, and particularly for people in the Capital Health district.

The cost of supporting someone with serious mental illness in the hospital is $170,000 a year, compared to the $35,000 it costs to support that same person in the community.

The Province of Nova Scotia is funding 75 per cent of the $6.7 million cost for construction of the community-focused living residences - with the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia raising the other 25 per cent.

The Foundation's $2 million fundraising efforts towards the residences received a boost today when RBC announced its financial contribution.

"RBC is pleased to support this new model of health care and to announce a lead contribution to the construction of the residences," said David McKay, RBC's Group Head of Canadian Banking. "Our donation of $150,000 will help to build the community-focused living residences that will play such an important role in this new model of mental health care."

Financial support from the Province, RBC and other corporate donors will help to narrow the gap between the acute care offered to mental health patients in a hospital setting and the support they receive once they are discharged.

"For many, the transition from receiving treatment in a hospital to living independently in the community can be overwhelming," said Robert Hunt, chair of the Foundation's board of directors. "The Mental Health Foundation is pleased to partner with the provincial government and the corporate community so that together, we can improve, enhance and change the lives of Nova Scotians with mental illness."

The Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia is a registered charitable foundation that was established in 1987 to create a higher level of awareness of mental health and to support organizations to deliver the highest level of mental health care in every community in Nova Scotia. Through major fundraising efforts, and with the support of our donors and volunteers, the Foundation is changing the way people think about mental health.

For more information call 464-6000 or visit www.mentalhealthns.ca

Also see:

Housing project to help mentally ill.

Photograph courtesy of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia.

Face mental illness: a 10-step plan

2008-10-08T09:37:00.003-03:00

From today's edition of The Chronicle Herald:

By Stan Kutcher and David Venn

What does the face of a person with mental illness look like?

That question is at the heart of this year’s national anti-stigma campaign "Face Mental Illness," which is the theme of Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct. 5-11). In Canada, one in five people is living with a mental illness. Mental disorders are some of the most disabling medical conditions, with about 70 per cent of them onsetting prior to age 25. They exact a huge negative impact on health, society and our economy. Yet a strong and persistent stigma prevents thousands of adults and youth from accessing and receiving the help they need to get well and say well.

While the scientific understanding and treatment of mental disorders and the awareness of the importance of mental health in all aspects of life have advanced considerably in the past decade, the public perception of people with mental illness has been much slower to change. A recent national survey conducted by the Canadian Medical Association found extremely high rates of stigma against those who suffer from mental disorders, permeating all aspects of Canadian society. This stigma is largely present in our social structures and institutions – including our health, social services, education and justice sectors.

Stigma is essentially the polite word for discrimination. There is no room in our caring society for discrimination against those living with mental illness. There is no reason for those living with mental illnesses to be denied adequate housing or equitable health care or to spend their lives in the shadows.

The recently established Mental Health Commission of Canada has announced that it will be addressing stigma against the mentally ill through a national strategy. However, Nova Scotians should not need to wait until a national strategy is unveiled to begin to address the complex issues that need our attention. We could start with these 10 steps to immediately begin to improve mental health and the care for those who suffer from mental disorders in this province:
Establish a consensus that promotion of mental health and recovery from mental disorders should be the framework for the development and delivery of mental health care across the province.
Establish a child and youth policy and plan that commit to providing equity in health access to all young people suffering from mental disorders.
Enhance funding for treatment of those with mental disorders, basing all interventions on best available scientific evidence.
Address youth needs as the cornerstone of mental health promotion and prevention activities. Focus these activities in schools and community organizations and link these to enhanced community based mental health care capacity for young people.
Support the creation and distribution of mental health literacy programs to enhance knowledge for the public, professionals and policy-makers alike.
Allocate a specific portion of the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation funding for mental health research – especially in areas traditionally receiving little research support.
Establish innovative community-based and supported housing that meets the needs of the mentally ill – and link this to the development and delivery of peer support training for those who wish to obtain it.
Establish novel competency training programs to upgrade the mental health treatment skills of all health providers – so people with mental disorders can get their care from the same people who look after their diabetes, cancers and heart disease.
Establish youth engagement and intervention programs that will prevent young people from ending up in jails, and establish mental health courts for all offenders who are currently rotating through the legal system.
Accelerate the process of de-institutionalization of those who have mental disorders and ensure that sufficient acute and long-term care resources are available in usual health care locations instead of stand-alone mental health facilities – thus decreasing the stigma of receiving mental health care.
Societies are judged by how they treat their most vulnerable citizens. Nova Scotians are too good a people to continue ignoring the needs of our brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbours because they live with mental illness. It’s time we faced the issue and did ourselves proud.

Dr. Stan Kutcher holds the Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health. David Venn is project co-ordinator on the Sun Life Chair’s Knowledge Translation Team.

Photograph of Dr. Stan Kutcher courtesy of the IWK Health Centre.

Newsletter: World Fellowship for Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders

2008-10-07T17:32:00.003-03:00

To read the World Fellowship for Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders' 2008
Third Quarter Newsletter, click here.

Wellness Fair: Thursday, November 6th

2008-10-07T17:19:00.001-03:00

Click on the image to magnify it.

NIH Scientists Identify Link Between Brain Systems Implicated in Schizophrenia

2008-10-07T08:51:00.006-03:00

An October 6th news release from the National Institutes of Health:

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have deciphered the complex relationship between three distinct brain circuits implicated in schizophrenia. The researchers determined that one brain circuit acts through an intermediary brain circuit. The intermediary circuit acts like a volume control knob, turning up the electrical activity of still another brain circuit, or turning it down.

The finding suggests that schizophrenia could result from a malfunction anywhere in the link between these three brain circuits.

"This discovery lays the groundwork for studies that may lead to more effective treatments for schizophrenia," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the NIH institute where the research was undertaken. "Theoretically, each of these interrelated brain mechanisms could be the focus of drug therapy."

The study was published online in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." The research was conducted by Andres Buonanno, Ph.D., and his colleagues in the Section on Molecular Neurobiology in NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Other authors of the paper were: Oh Bin Kwon, Daniel Paredes, Carmen M. Gonzalez, Joerg Neddens, and Detlef Vullhorst; all of the NICHD; and Luis Hernandez, of the Universidad de los Andes, Merida, Venezuela.

To read the entire news release, click here.

Support Group Meeting: HRM Chapter of the SSNS

2008-10-06T16:59:00.000-03:00

The mission of the HRM Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (SSNS) is to improve the quality of life for those affected by schizophrenia and related illnesses through family education and support.

Family members, friends, co-workers, and other supporters of those living with schizophrenia and related illnesses are cordially invited to attend Support Group Meetings of the HRM Chapter. The next Support Group Meeting is:

Date
Monday, October 20th, 2008

Time
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Place

Room 6016, Halifax Infirmary
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre
1796 Summer Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Guest Speaker
Patricia Cosgrove, Social Worker
Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program

Topic
Effective Communication Skills

To download the HRM Chapter's brochure, click here (PDF).

To join the HRM Chapter of the SSNS, or for more information, contact Donna Methot at (902) 462-8658 or send an email to hrmchapterssns@accesswave.ca.

The HRM Chapter of the SSNS will accept members from outside the boundaries of HRM (see map below).

Photograph of downtown Halifax by Derek Rodgers.

Congress passes mental health coverage boost

2008-10-06T08:17:00.001-03:00

An article posted by Reuters on October 3rd:

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A measure boosting insurance coverage for mental illness and treatment of drug and alcohol addiction secured final U.S. congressional passage on Friday as part of financial industry bailout legislation.

The bailout bill that the House of Representatives passed 263-171 was tacked onto a bipartisan measure requiring health insurers to give the same level of coverage for mental illness and substance abuse treatment as other ailments.

President George W. Bush quickly signed it into law. The Senate had passed it on Wednesday.

The bill will not force health plan providers to give mental health coverage but will make those that offer benefits for mental illness and substance addiction treatment to do so on the same terms as medical and surgical care.

The legislation, known as mental health parity, becomes law after a decade-long quest by advocates for the mentally ill who say insurers often shortchange people with mental conditions ranging from depression to schizophrenia.

To read the entire article, click here.

Recovery is possible

2008-10-06T07:51:00.007-03:00

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.

New Clues to Schizophrenia Genetics

2008-10-05T21:14:00.008-03:00

An article posted by Virginia Hughes (pictured, right) on her weblog today:

A specific gene in the chromosomal region 22q11 is important for normal brain connectivity and synapse formation, and its absence may lead to schizophrenia, researchers are reporting today in Nature Neuroscience. The same team first linked a deletion in the chromosomal region to the disorder 13 years ago.

This approach of honing in on an individual gene’s effect on the mouse brain, experts predict, will become more common as scientists identify more copy number variations (CNVs) — duplications or deletions of a stretch of DNA — relevant to schizophrenia and autism.

To read the entire article, click here.

Neurons from the 22q11 mouse model (right) have fewer spines than normal mouse (left).

How to look after your mental health

2008-10-04T08:34:00.007-03:00

From The Mental Health Foundation (U.K.):

Mental health is about the way you think and feel and your ability to deal with ups and downs.

It's important to take care of yourself and get the most from life. We have put together 10 practical ways to look after your mental health.

Making simple changes to how you live doesn't need to cost a fortune or take up loads of time. Anyone can follow our advice.

To download How to look after your Mental Health, click here (PDF).

Mental Illness – An Election Issue!

2008-10-04T07:36:00.010-03:00

By Sheila Morrison, Freelance writer, Mental Health Advocate

Mental Illness Awareness Week is October 6-11. What does it mean to you? Chances are extremely high that either you, or someone in your family, has suffered not only with the frightening symptoms of illness, but the effects of any of the following: discrimination, social stigma, poverty, fear, loneliness, hunger, loss of work, criminalization, being locked up, homelessness, rejection, wrong treatments, no treatment, unaffordable treatment, and the bureaucratic restrictions on accessing a reasonable life.

Without a doubt there is some excellent work being done. For example, this week a handbook, written by Capital Health staff and family members, is being launched by Capital Health for families to answer their questions on how to access care for their family member who is experiencing a mental health problem. By the end of this year Capital Health will have launched a very user-friendly website for the public that will also direct you to resources and offer information. There are also many non-profit groups doing their share: The Mental Health Coalition of Nova Scotia, The Healthy Minds Cooperative, The Consumer Initiative Centre, The Empowerment Connection, Veith Street Gallery and Studio, Elizabeth Fry Society, Canadian Mental Health Association, The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, Caregivers Nova Scotia, and dozens of others.

Money is an issue for all of them. Less than 4% of our provincial health budget goes to mental health and spending is declining. Nationally, mental [illness] drains our economy of 51 billion dollars annually. If you are sick and receive good care, the recovery rate is 80%. Yes, people do recover and lead productive lives. But only one fifth of those needing treatment receive adequate care. Heartbreaking.

When the federal candidates come to your door, ask them why are we the only G8 country without a mental health strategy and what will you do about it? Ask the provincial candidates what they will do to put in place the many recommendations from the many reports to improve mental health care in Nova Scotia. Ask your municipal candidates what happened to the Community Health Boards recommendations?

If you know someone who is ill, sit with them. Listen. Offer to go to an appointment with them. Invite them for dinner. Hug. Accept them for who they are and don’t offer advice you are unqualified to give. Don’t judge them. Above all remember that it is not that person’s fault. Tomorrow it could be you or your child or parent.

Mental illness is just that, an illness. The right to good care is a human rights issue that ultimately affects every one of us.

Also see:

Everyone Affected

Schzophrenia and Psychosis - the Myths and the Facts

2008-10-02T10:50:00.001-03:00

One in 100 Canadians lives with schizophrenia at some point in their lifetimes, and another four in 100 will experience psychosis. Hear what it’s like to experience schizophrenia/psychosis and learn how you can help a family member, friend, or co-worker deal with these mental illnesses in a positive and productive manner.

Presented by the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia.

Spring Garden Road Memorial Public Library
Friday, October 17th, 12:00 noon

These workshops are presented by Capital Health, the IWK Health Centre and community partners. For the complete list of workshops, click here (PDF) and go to pages 11 and 12.

Strengthening Families Together: Dartmouth

2008-10-02T10:45:00.001-03:00

FREE!

ONGOING!

In collaboration with Capital District Community Mental Health Services, the HRM Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia will deliver Strengthening Families Together, a ten-week evening educaiton and support program, beginning at 6:30 pm on Thursday, October 2nd, at Dartmouth Community Mental Health (5th Floor, Belmont House, 33 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth).

Strengthening Families Together

Helping families and friends find ways to cope with psychosis is important to both the ill person and the family as a whole. Siblings may feel disenfranchised, wondering what is going on at home and why their brother or sister is acting so strangely. Family members and friends often feel overwhelmed, hearing for the first time about anti-psychotic medications, early intervention approaches, and what “being psychotic” really means. They may need to adjust their expectations and lifestyle, learn new information about mental illness, psychosis and recovery, and discover the challenges of navigating the health system.

Participating in an education program such as Strengthening Families Together gives families and friends an opportunity to discover the information they are searching for in an environment of mutual support. It teaches them how to reduce their own stress levels, and it better equips them to take on their new responsibilities. And it can show them a future where recovery is possible.

Each weekly session is facilitated by two family members having experience with a loved one who lives with schizophrenia or a psychotic disorder. A guest speaker with topical expertise also presents and answers questions each week. The program is FREE and open to all family members and friends of those living with a serious mental illness.

For the outline of the Strengthening Families Together program, click here.

Registration

To register, contact Donna Methot at (902) 462-8658 or send an email to hrmchapterssns@accesswave.ca.

Delivery of Strengthening Families Together is supported by grants from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia and AstraZeneca Canada Inc.

You Are Not Alone!

2008-10-01T15:31:00.006-03:00

A new collaborative project between the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia and the Dalhousie University School of Nursing.

Click on the image to magnify it.

Laing House Family Support Group

2008-10-01T08:22:00.000-03:00

The Laing House Family Support Group is a self-help group for family/friends of an adolescent or young adult up to the age of 30 who has a mental illness (not restricted to any one illness in particular). Since January 2008, the Laing House Family Support Group has operated as a stand-alone group, at arm's length from Laing House, but with Laing House's support.

Because the Laing House Family Support Group it is now run BY family members FOR family/friends, it is meant to be inclusive rather than exclusive and there is no requirement for the youth themselves to be members of Laing House or for families to have the youth's permission to attend.

The goal of the Laing House Family Support Group is to provide support and education according to the needs determined by the Support Group members. Meetings always include a time for sharing and support amongst the Group and we invite speakers when a specific interest is identified by the Group.

The Laing House Family Support Group meets on the first Monday evening of each month at 6:00 pm (usually to 8:00 pm but may run a bit longer if there is a presenter). The next meeting is on October 6th, 2008. The speaker for this meeting speaker is Rosalyn Hayman, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine.

There is no commitment to attend group meetings beyond what families find is helpful or convenient. Laing House is located at 1225 Barrington Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Contacts:

Dani Himmelman, parent facilitator: phone (902) 826-224 or email dhimmelman@eastlink.ca.

Judy Bell, Team Leader, Laing House: phone (902) 473-7743.

Kings County Chapter of the SSNS

2008-10-01T07:42:00.003-03:00

Meetings of the Kings County Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia are held the second Wednesday of each month, beginning at 7:00 pm, at St. Joseph's Parish Hall, 48 Belcher Street, Kentville, Nova Scotia (for a map, click here).

The December meeting will consist of a Holiday Season party. Meetings will not be held during the summer months of July and August.

Mental Health Commission of Canada: Fall Newsletter Released

2008-09-28T08:56:00.004-03:00

To view the Mental Health Commission of Canada's fall newsletter, click here (PDF).

Click on the image to expand it.

Show support

2008-09-26T10:47:00.002-03:00

A letter to the editor published in the September 25th edition of The Chronicle Herald:

Beginning Oct. 1, people who receive social assistance in Nova Scotia will see a $4 increase to their monthly income. This paltry increase is a long way from bringing social assistance rates up to the standard of the low-income cut-off level.

In its 2006 report, The National Council on Welfare reported that social assistance recipients in Nova Scotia have lost 20 per cent of their purchasing power since the late 1980s. The council notes that between 1989 and 2002, welfare incomes for employable, single persons with a disability, lone parents, and couples have seen their incomes decline in all provinces except Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and New Brunswick.

It is ironic that social assistance personal allowance rates are going up 1.96 per cent while Nova Scotia Power is looking to increase its rates by 9.4 per cent.

The Halifax Coalition Against Poverty will be holding a press conference at the Department of Community Services, 2131 Gottingen St., at 11 a.m. on Oct. 1 to demand that the provincial government raise social assistance rates to a livable level. Please come and show your support.

Sharon Murphy, Halifax

Schizophrenia and social cognition

2008-09-24T08:47:00.007-03:00

Part 1 (above)

Part 2 (above)

I must note that the presenter uses the term "a schizophrenic person". This is unfortunate as it takes away from an otherwise very good presentation.

Anne of Green Gables author suicide highlights mental illness

2008-09-23T17:24:00.005-03:00

Posted today on TheStar.com:

THE CANADIAN PRESS

FREDERICTON– The revelation that beloved author Lucy Maud Montgomery [pictured], who wrote the Anne of Green Gables books, committed suicide in 1942 is being lauded for helping generate public discussion on mental health issues.

Montgomery's battle with mental illness was known for many years, but confirmation of her death by a drug overdose at the age of 67 only came this weekend in an article written by her granddaughter, Kate Macdonald Butler, in the Globe and Mail newspaper.

In the article, Macdonald Butler said it's hoped that writing about the issue will result in less secrecy and more awareness of the suffering of people with depression.

"I have come to feel very strongly that the stigma surrounding mental illness will be forever upon us as a society until we sweep away the misconception that depression happens to other people, not to us – and most certainly not to our heroes and icons," she wrote.

To read the entire article, click here.

Also see:

The heartbreaking truth about Anne's creator

Photo credit: Library and Archives Canada / C-011299

Statement by FCM President on Conservatives' $1.9 billion commitment to national housing and homelessness programs

2008-09-22T06:48:00.004-03:00

From the September 17th edition of The Globe and Mail:

OTTAWA, Sept. 17 /CNW Telbec/ - The following is a statement from FCM [The Federation of Canadian Municipalities] President Jean Perrault, Mayor of Sherbrooke, on the Conservative Party's commitment of more than $1.9 billion in funding over five years in support of housing and homelessness programs throughout Canada.

"Today's campaign promise of more than $1.9 billion for housing and homelessness programs is a clear, positive and timely response to Canada's homelessness epidemic and the growing need for more affordable shelter. This announcement demonstrates strong leadership on an issue that touches Canadians literally where they live.

In January, 2008 FCM released its National Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness. At that time we called on the Government of Canada to lead a plan to eliminate homelessness within a decade, and, as a first step, extend vital federal housing programs beyond their planned expiry in March 2009 . When implemented, today's commitment would extend those programs and lay the ground work for a long-term strategy to confront homelessness.

We are further encouraged by the Conservative Party's commitment to work with other governments and communities "to implement concrete, long-term solutions to these challenging issues." This co-operative spirit will help ensure that today's funding commitments not only meet immediate needs, but contribute to lasting solutions.

Municipal governments fund, manage or support many of Canada's homeless shelters and much of the country's public housing stock. Federal funding support not only helps local governments perform these roles, but eases the burden placed on police, emergency and social services when housing and homelessness programs are underfunded.

Along with investments required in infrastructure, public transit, policing, and rural and northern sustainability, the growing need for affordable housing is an issue that is simply too costly, and too important, for local property taxpayers to fund alone. Not only is today's commitment a response to one of the most fundamental needs of the citizens we serve - it is a step toward stronger, more sustainable cities and communities.

We encourage all parties to contribute to the public discussion on housing and homelessness, and outline plans to invest in the places Canadians call home."

For further information:

Maurice Gingues, (613) 907-6395, mgingues@fcm.ca.