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Instagram's New Features Have Users' Safety and Mental Health In Mind

12/21/2016

Following suit to Facebook's support features which took effect last year (http://time.com/3723472/facebook-suicide/), Instagram have also begun to launch a series of tools designed with user protection and safety in mind.

More specifically, Instagram's new features include an anonymous reporting tool which one can use to flag worrisome posts such as those with content related to self harm or suicide. After reporting the post, the individual would receive a message of support, as well as suggestions for help such as organization recommendations, local help-lines, and reminders to reach out to loved ones.

"What’s interesting about Instagram’s tool is that it isn’t only triggered by anonymous reporting. Instagram’s app will also direct users to the support message when they search the service for certain hashtags, like the banned search term #thinspo, for example, which is associated with eating disorders."

Additional tools also include the ability to disable comments for posts or create customizable block-lists which prevent certain individuals from commenting on one's posts. Earlier this year, this was an option only available to celebrities, but will soon become an option for all. The idea behind this tool was to reduce online bullying, which often can be quite detrimental to youth's self-esteem, mental wellbeing and ultimately their safety.

To read more, check out:
https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/19/instagram-tackles-self-harm-and-suicide-with-new-reporting-tools-support-options/

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Patients With Eating Disorders Can Easily Fall Through The Cracks

12/20/2016

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Patients with eating disorders are at a high risk of slipping through the cracks of our health care system. The hectic climate of a general practitioners office combined with the “invisible” nature of these illnesses creates the perfect opportunity for physicians to mistakenly overlook the possibility of an underlying eating disorder.

Harnessing the courage to seek out care for an eating disorder is far from easy. Patients that are turned away or dismissed upon seeking such care can feel tremendously demoralized and hopeless. Such an experience can often extinguish any potential of them seeking care in the future.

This article provides an insightful narrative about one individual’s journey in seeking care for her eating disorder and the eye-opening pitfalls she encountered. It provides an important reminder that as health care providers we must treat the individual and not just the symptoms.

Read more here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/nhs-mental-health-eating-disorders-gp-no-funding-local-authorities-a7476531.html

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The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Physician Wellness

12/18/2016

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Any medical student or resident can attest to how sleepless nights on call can lead to one feeling pretty terrible the next day when you realize you've been up at least 24+ hours without a wink of sleep.

While many in the medical profession advocate for physician wellness through proposals to lower work hours, this article points out the challenges and push-back such organizations face in making this happen. From sleepless demanding nights being termed "the culture of medicine", a way to "teach dedication", to new studies which suggest there is no increase in rates of death or serious complications of patients who have been operated on by surgical residents who were working under the traditional hours.

However, regardless of this, the author in the article below reminds us that all of us in the health professions are humans who need sleep to optimally function ... and to keep both ourselves, and our patients, healthy and safe. We would never suggest to our patients that it's okay working 24 hours non-stop with little sleep, so why doesn't this recommendation apply to us as well?

"Getting five or six hours of sleep—substantial by many physicians’ self-standards—can leave drivers impaired to a degree that’s similar to drunkenness. That’s according to findings of a study released this month from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: Drivers who sleep only five or six hours in a 24-hour period are twice as likely to crash as those who got seven or more...

... Even if a surgeon doesn’t physically collapse on top of a person, drowsy doctors are more likely to experience lapses in memory and judgment that can prove critical. In other words, the brains of doctors are subject to the limits of physiology in much the same way as other human brains."

Read the full article here:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/12/no-doctor-should-work-30-straight-hours/510395/

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The Ongoing Issue of Physician Burn-Out and Ineffective Interventions to Address It

12/17/2016

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It is no surprise that resident physicians are at risk of burn-out and depression as they face new levels of responsibility, higher demands, and more 24 hour call shifts once they graduate from medical school. While the debate around limiting work hours continues, more focus is being placed on helping new doctors cope with such stressors. However, while multiple institutions have tried implementing various initiatives to help their physicians combat stress, often the problem still remains of doctors coming forward to ask for help and support in the first place.

"Two major studies in the past month, one from the Mayo Clinic and one in the medical journal the Lancet, looked at various ways institutions have tried to deal with doctors’ fatigue, emotional exhaustion (a.k.a. burnout) and extraordinary depression rate: 29 per cent, versus 12 per cent of the general population.

The Mayo clinic study found hospitals had the most success with organization-wide changes like regular psychological screening, leadership training for supervising doctors and bi-weekly group dinners where residents can vent to peers who understand.

The Lancet paper, which reviewed previous studies, found pretty much all burnout-reduction programs were equally, and not very, effective. On average, they reduced burnout rates from 54 per cent to 44 per cent, as measured by a standard psychological test.

And that’s assuming those who have a problem admit it."

To read the full article, click here:
http://www.metronews.ca/…/…/05/doctor-diagnosis-burnout.html

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Life After Self-Harm

12/15/2016

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In this video, viewers meet two young women who have had a history of self harm, one of whom is a young physician. The women help us understand what it's like, despite recovery, continuing to live with their scars that demonstrate to all a difficult past. They describe the stigma and disturbing reactions they have faced from other physicians, from store cashiers and even strangers online; and how they work to overcome these ongoing battles including using make-up to mask their scars.

To view the full video, visit: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-38133306

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1 in 4 Medical Students Have Experienced Depression

12/12/2016

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Mental health issues among medical students is not a new concept. Many of us are aware that those in the medical profession, including med students, are at increased risk of burnout, depression, and suicidal ideation due to a multitude of factors including sleep deprivation as well as high stress and demands. However, recently a new systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA reveals that approximately 1 in 4 medical students experience depression; a rate thats higher than the general population.

Specifically the review which analyzed studies from over 43 countries revealed "the overall prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms among medical students was 27.2%, and the overall prevalence of suicidal ideation was 11.1%. Among medical students who screened positive for depression, 15.7% sought psychiatric treatment."

To learn more about the study, check out:
http://jamanetwork.com/journa…/jama/article-abstract/2589340
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/medical-students-medicine-mental-health-depression-suicide-1.3883935

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We Matter - A Campaign to Build Stronger Indigenous Youth

12/6/2016

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In November, brother and sister duo Kelvin and Tunchai Redvers began an online campaign designed to share messages of hope and resiliency to Indigenous youth across Canada. Having experienced and been witness to hopelessness, suicide, addiction, bullying, abuse, and addiction themselves in their home community in the Northwest Territories, the pair felt it was important to remind youth that they are not alone, that their lives matter, and that they are surrounded by love, hope, and support in their communities and beyond.

Their project, We Matter, allows individuals from across the country to share video messages, artwork, and poems to Indigenous youth, which offer words of encouragement and positivity, stories of lived experience, and messages of resiliency and strength. More than that, the project aims to build stronger communities and help youth break silence, find help, and speak out about the hardships they face.

"At 15, Redvers almost became a statistic herself, ingesting a toxic amount of pills before phoning her mom.

“Me taking the pills was hitting rock bottom and was my cry for help,” says Tunchai. “I began to learn the importance of breaking the silence and reaching out for help.”

Now 22, Redvers is hoping a national non-profit she founded with her brother, Kelvin Redvers, will help other aboriginal youth do the same.

The pair launched We Matter last month, a website with video messages of hope from First Nation youth and leaders, as well as heartbreaking stories from community members who tried to take their own life, or thought about it."

Check out the We Matter campaign and help forward these messages to those in need by visiting and sharing the sites below:
https://wemattercampaign.org
https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2016/12/03/two-northern-siblings-who-made-hope-go-viral.html

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A Look Into Anxiety Treatment Clinics

12/5/2016

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In this fantastic article, readers learn all about the Anxiety Research and Treatment Centre at St Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton. While the article offers us snapshots into the treatment programs offered at the clinic, and the impact it has had for those who have struggled with anxiety disorders, we also learn some basics about anxiety including the prevalence of these conditions, the various types of anxiety disorders, and the treatment options for these conditions from medications to therapy such as CBT.

More than that, the article also informs us that while such anxiety clinics are under increased demand, this may not necessarily be due to increased incidence, but more related to decreased stigma and more individuals coming forward for help. We also are advised to remember that some anxiety or stress can be healthy and we need to continue building resiliency rather than over-medicalize stress.

"But those who are able to joke about a disorder may have never actually experienced it, and wouldn't want to.

Symptoms of an anxiety disorder include changes in thinking, behaviour, emotions, and physical sensations that cause distress and impair your ability to function at work or socially.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness, and can affect anyone in any walk of life — about 30 per cent will experience one in their lifetime — and are often made worse by an accompanying "comorbid" mood disorder, depression, or substance abuse disorder.

Anxiety has been around as long as humanity. The emotion is an evolutionary adaptation, a reaction in the central nervous system giving our bodies a jolt to react to a challenge or danger; the "fight or flight" mechanism"".

For the full article, visit:
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6981046-thought-distortion-anxiety-disorders/

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Instagram's New Features Have Users' Safety and Mental Health In Mind

Patients With Eating Disorders Can Easily Fall Through The Cracks

The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Physician Wellness

The Ongoing Issue of Physician Burn-Out and Ineffective Interventions to Address It

Life After Self-Harm

1 in 4 Medical Students Have Experienced Depression

We Matter - A Campaign to Build Stronger Indigenous Youth

A Look Into Anxiety Treatment Clinics

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