Beyond The Body
  • Home
  • About
  • Contributors
  • Contact

A Project of Hope: 13 Reasons Why Not

5/25/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
When those in a high school in Oakland County, Michigan watched the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, the premise and themes it focused on hit close to home as the school had also lost one of their students to suicide back in 2013.

While the show has been criticized, many feel it accurately and excellently portrayed present day issues that teens face today including bullying, body-shaming, social media use, abusive relationships, as well as consent and sexual violence, and even the increased risks associated with having access to weapons such as guns in the home. 

Despite this, many at the school including the dean felt the show portrayed little hope, and depicted suicide as the only way out, without highlighting the many mental health resources available and the care/support family and friends frequently provide. This sparked an idea for a project called "13 Reasons Why Not" ...

The project involved 13 recordings from students at the school being played over morning announcements. Each day, on the recording one teen would share a problem they had been struggling with, whether that would be bullying at school or issues in their home life. However, rather than placing blame, at the end of the recording, the student would thank someone, such as another classmate who has helped them and thus provided a sense of hope and encouragement to carry on.

​Since the project has been in place, students who have volunteered recordings have found an outpouring of love and support from their classmates, and have found that their school has become a community where individuals feel safe and comfortable sharing their mental health struggles. A bright idea not only to raise awareness and encourage ongoing discussions on these issues, but to show what 13 Reasons does not ... that help, hope, and support do exist. 

"“I watched the series. I thought it accurately depicted the problems that teenagers in high school are facing now. But it was incredibly troubling to me that suicide was portrayed as being, almost, inevitable, like she had no other option,” said Fine.
​
“The idea was to come up with 13 reasons why not, because that was not portrayed in the show. … Even though it can get very dark, there is always hope. Our message is that there are no 13 reasons why. Suicide is not an option."


To find out more, visit:
"Oxford High School students begin project called '13 Reasons Why Not'" by Monica Drake (Oakland Press News)

0 Comments

Viewer Discretion Advised: 13 Reasons Why

5/24/2017

0 Comments

 
The Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why has received considerable attention over the last few months since its initial worldwide release on March 31. The feedback has been mixed however, and has generated a fair bit of controversy over the portrayal of suicide and self-harm, leading Netflix to post advisory warnings. Many mental lhealth organizations and advocates, along with mental health professionals, have since been speaking out about their concerns regarding the show.

Psychiatrist Dr. Stan Kutcher in Halifax, has been working with the IWK Health Centre and Teenmentalhealth.org to generate an online resource for teens, parents, and educators on how to address concerns regarding the show and discuss mental health issues with young people. 

The resource (link below) specifically highlights concerns such as how the show glamorizes or romanticizes suicide/self-harm raising the concern that there may be an increase in such behaviours by vulnerable youth, presents adults/others as unknowing or unhelpful, and most importantly does not address mental illness which often underlies suicidal thoughts and behaviours. 

However, more importantly, the website provides visitors with a "set of talking points", an important document that should be provided to those who watch the series as it both addresses the above concerns, but also guides discussions between youth and their caregivers/educators, and highlights how hope and help are available to those in need.

To find out more, visit:
http://teenmentalhealth.org/news-posts/responding-13-reasons-considerations-schools/
Picture
0 Comments

Mental Health Awareness Week 2017 - Part 2

5/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Remember it's the last day of Mental Health Week, but there's still plenty of time to take action!

This year, mental health week's focus is on the long wait times Canadians experience when seeking publicly funded psychotherapy, counselling, and support form community-based mental health services and programs. 

Early diagnosis and treatment are critical for individuals with mental illness and are crucial to improving overall prognosis. So consider getting involved by writing your MP to push for increased funding for mental healthcare, as well as donating money to local initiatives, or simply speaking up about mental health and the great demand for increased services and supports.
​

#SickofWaiting #Getloud
Picture
0 Comments

Why Resident Wellness is so Difficult to Achieve

5/4/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
A powerful article written by a resident pediatrician, on how "resident wellness" while a great idea in theory, in practice is much more difficult to achieve without a major reform to the underlying culture of medicine, work hours, and immense demands, stress, and responsibilities placed on young physicians.

"But the fundamental barriers to well-being remain here as in other programs nationwide: our 80-hour workweeks, our massive debt-to-income ratios, and the accumulated grief of years of medical training. The first time I went to counseling was during my first month in the ER, when I had a week of day shifts, followed by a week of nights, then a week of days and then another week of nights. The therapist’s first question was about my sleep schedule—the likely cause of my distress, but also absolutely beyond my control...

...The goal of preventing physician suicide seems reasonable to me: suicide is concrete, measurable, and important. “Wellness,” on the other hand, is fishy and elusive. The duty to promote one’s own wellbeing can feel like another burden on our time, and the idea that we residents have control over our wellbeing—or much of anything in our lives—is laughable.

My residency program’s individualized learning plan survey asks us what we are doing to promote wellness. I am able to list a couple of things in the box—I walk to work, I have a husband who makes me food—but the fact is I do not believe wellness is available to me. Not in this environment, and not at 80-hour weeks."

To read the full article, visit:
"When Doctors Can't Afford to Feel" by Dr. Rachel Pearson (The Daily Beast)

0 Comments

Mental Health Week 2017

5/1/2017

1 Comment

 
Did you know that May 1-7 is CMHA National's 66th annual Mental Health Week?!

This year the theme is to #GetLoud!

"Getting loud means speaking up to stop the discrimination and the stigma that often go hand in hand with mental illness. It means using your voice to raise awareness and build support. For someone at home. For someone at work. For yourself."

Find out how you can get involved, by visiting http://toolkit.mentalhealthweek.ca!
Picture
1 Comment

    Description

    Supporting and enhancing students' and health professionals' knowledge and understanding of mental health and psychiatry

    Archives

    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Aboriginal Mental Health
    Abuse
    Addiction
    ADHD
    Advocacy
    Agitation
    Alcohol
    Alcohol Withdrawal
    All
    Alzheimer's Disease
    Animals
    Antipsychotic
    Anxiety
    App
    Art
    Autism Spectrum
    Awareness
    Barriers To Care
    Bereavement
    BIID
    Bipolar
    Books
    Borderline
    BPSD
    Caregivers
    Catatonia
    CBT
    Child Psychiatry
    Complicated Grief
    Concussion
    CPA
    Cultural Psychiatry
    Delirium
    Dementia
    Depression
    Dermatillomania
    Diagnosis
    Documentary
    DSM 5
    Dual Diagnosis
    Eating Disorders
    ECT
    Education
    Educational Resource
    Epilepsy
    Ethics
    Exercise
    Factitious Disorder
    Film
    Food
    Forensic Psychiatry
    Gambling
    Gaming Addiction
    Gender Dysphoria
    Geriatric Psychiatry
    Global Mental Health
    Harm Reduction
    Heart Attack
    Hoarding Disorder
    Humanities
    Infographic
    Initiatives
    IPad
    Language
    Law
    LGBTQ
    Loneliness
    Malingering
    Mania
    Medication
    Meditation
    Mens Mental Health
    Mental Health
    Mental Health Law
    Mental Status Exam
    Military
    Mind-body Wellness
    Mindfulness
    Mood Disorder
    Music
    Neurodevelopmental
    Neuropsychiatry
    News
    Ocd
    Panic Disorder
    Parksinson's Disease
    Patient Perspective
    PDD
    Personality Disorders
    Phobia
    Physical Health
    Physician Suicide
    Physician Wellness
    Poems
    Pop Culture
    Postpartum
    PPD
    Prevention
    Psych Assessment
    Psychiatry
    Psychoanalysis
    Psychosis
    Psychotherapy
    Ptsd
    Recovery
    Refugee Mental Health
    Relationships
    Reproductive Mental Health
    Research
    Resiliency
    Safety
    Schizoaffective Disorder
    Schizophrenia
    Screening
    Seasonal-affective-disorder
    Selective Mutism
    Self Harm
    Self-harm
    Ses
    Sexual Disorders
    Sleep Disorder
    Social Anxiety
    Social Isolation
    Social Media
    Somatic Symptoms And Disorders
    Sports
    Stigma
    Stress
    Stress Injury
    Student Mental Health
    Substance Use
    Suicide
    Surgery
    Technology
    TED
    Therapy
    Tools
    Transgender Mental Health
    Treatment
    Trichotillomania
    Womens Mental Health
    Youth

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.