Student and spoken word poet Tonya Ingram wrote an open letter to her depression, capturing the pain of living with sadness, of feeling lonely and unworthy after traumatic experiences, and of being brought close to the edge of death by suicide. More than that though, Tonya's poem brings those with similar experiences hope and encourages seeking help, forgiving yourself, and using positive self-talk to break free from the tight wraths of depression ... "You depression are my childhood friend the midnight voices in my head, a slick tongue. You pretend to have the answers but loving you got me sick, got me suicide watched, got me blue happy pills. Find the nearest ledge you say Walk out you say Suspend you say Wouldn't I be happier dead?" For the full poem, watch the video below: Anita Bezanson, from the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, is both the owner of a stationary company called Rhubarb Paper Co., as well as someone who has had lived experience with mental health issues including suicide, depression, anxiety, and OCD. From her own personal experiences, Bezanson recently created a "Cards of Compassion" line that helps not only open the discussion between those affected by mental illness and their loved ones, but helps demonstrate support, love, and friendship or community, which is often what is needed most especially during the holiday season which can be quite a difficult time for some. In addition to a show of support, proceeds from the sale of each card also goes towards local mental health organizations. "There are nine cards in the series and while they offer support, the tone in many includes humour. "Laughter is the best medicine," Bezanson said. "Scratch that. What your doctor prescribes for you is the best medicine, but laughter is the second best medicine."" You can learn more about these Cards of Compassion or purchase them at the links below: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/greeting-cards-mental-illness-1.3352927 https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/rhubarbpaperco?section_id=17068795&ref=shopsection_leftnav_5 Attention all surgeons and future surgeons! A new study suggests that a patient's pre-operative mood and mental well-being may impact their post-operative course and risk of complications; ultimately emphasizing that even in surgery, it is still important to be mindful of patients' mental health. "Before the procedure, people filled out a questionnaire where they rated various adjectives describing how they felt, including: distressed, upset, guilty, scared, hostile, irritable, ashamed, nervous, jittery and afraid. The study authors found that people who were more likely to have a greater degree of these negative feelings had a greater occurrence of adverse events from the procedure, like slow heart rate or abnormal blood pressure." For the full article, click here: http://time.com/4131926/your-mood-can-predict-how-well-your-surgery-goes-study/ Recently, JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association published a systemic review and meta-analysis that investigated the prevalence of depression among medical residents. The results which were based on over 50 studies and involved 17,000 residents from around the world found that upwards of 1/3 of residents experienced symptoms of depression, a rate that is markedly higher than the general population. While some still point to the persistent stigma of mental illness among medical professionals, as well as the culture of medicine which includes high stress, busy schedules and sleep deprivation as contributing factors to becoming overwhelmed and depressed, Dr. Ajantha Jayabarathan from Halifax suggests part of the problem may also be rooted in the exposure to trauma many physicians face, as well as a lack of supports to discuss mental health challenges, and difficulties and stressors encountered at work. ""As a result of being exposed to this trauma vicariously over and over again, it actually impacts on the world view of the practitioner themselves," Jayabarathan said. "As a result of it, they end up losing the very empathy and compassion that attracted us to that field in the first place." Jayabarathan recognized how time-pressed residents when they need to learn skills quickly. But she called it unconscionable to leave residents to face storms without protection, such as supports known as Balint groups where doctors can debrief regularly to prevent burnout." For the full story, click here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/depression-residents-1.3355358 https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2474424 In Detroit, Michigan, the Henry Ford Health System has instituted a new suicide prevention care program, which aims to reduce the suicide rate to zero through taking on a more proactive approach to depression and self-harm. The program, which begins with primary care physicians screening every patient, has already led to suicide rates that are well below the national average, more positive patient experiences and consistency and continuity between healthcare providers, as well as significant healthcare savings due to the reductions in ER visits and hospitalizations. Though innovative in their approach, the new initiative is now a model that other communities should be shaping their suicide prevention services after ... "The plan it developed is intensive and thorough, an almost cookbook approach. Primary care doctors screen every patient with two questions: How often have you felt down in the past two weeks? And how often have you felt little pleasure in doing things? A high score leads to more questions about sleep disturbances, changes in appetite, thoughts of hurting oneself. All patients are questioned on every visit. If the health providers recognize a mental health problem, patients are assigned to appropriate care — cognitive behavioral therapy, drugs, group counseling, or hospitalization if necessary. On each patient's medical record, providers have to attest to having done the screening, and they record plans for any needed care. Therapists involve patients' families, and ask them to remove guns or other means of suicide from their homes. Clerks are trained to make sure that patients who need followup care don't leave without an appointment. Patients themselves come up with "safety plans."" For the full article, click here: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/11/02/452658644/what-happens-if-you-try-to-prevent-every-single-suicide Online there exists numerous "Confessions" Facebook pages for most Canadian universities including Dalhousie University, McMaster University, and even the University of Toronto where students can share anonymous confessions ranging from the humorous to more troubling and serious issues. Recently, an article shed light on one of the largest Facebook pages, SFU Confessions, where students have been anonymously submitting stories of depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts and ideation. In this interesting article (link below) the author suggests that though it is important for students to openly discuss their mental health issues, the anonymous means Facebook pages such as these provides, only serves to continue perpetuating stigma and fails to help truly support students and connect them to appropriate supports and resources. Rather, the author suggests, we should be encouraging students to have "meaningful" and personal conversations about mental illness with family, friends, or mental health services on campus or in our communities. What do you think about the issues discussed in this article? Do you think anonymous web or Facebook pages are appropriate or helpful outlets for those facing mental health challenges? "If individuals are encouraged to only share their struggles when they can fear no social repercussions, then instead of challenging the belief that talking about mental health is shameful or embarrassing, it perpetuates that stigma. Instead of being able to put a face to mental health issues, there remains a shroud of secrecy." For the full article, click here: http://www.the-peak.ca/2015/11/sfus-culture-of-confessions-obscures-mental-health-issues/ Last week, tragically, a 27-year-old internal medicine resident at the University of Montreal died by suicide. While this young and promising new physician was not the first doctor to die by suicide, her loss reminds us of the persistent issue of mental illness, as well as the high pressures, stress, and burnout that face those entering the medical profession. While we have become aware that 1 in 7 medical students have contemplated #suicide and that "we lose at least one medical school worth of MDs per year to suicide", little has been done to address the persistent stigma of mental illness among healthcare professionals, or the culture of medicine that tends to perpetuate burnout and depression. As this powerful article by Andre Picard emphasizes, it is time to now transcend from increasing awareness to focusing on actually taking action and addressing and preventing mental health issues among our medical students, residents, and physicians, as suicide and mental illness should not be an occupational hazard of the field. "In short, medical education is too often imbued with a macho attitude that learners have to be broken down and toughened up and that those who can’t take it are weak and unworthy. Perversely, many physicians take pride in this boot-camp mentality. When efforts were made to eliminate the insane 100-hour workweeks of residents, old-timers quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) dismissed the younger generation as wimps... In fact, what’s different today is not that young people are weaker, it is that expectations are so much higher and isolation is so much greater, in spite of (or perhaps because of) so-called social media. Medical students and residents are also headed into a world of uncertainty, not one where they are guaranteed a life of privilege." For the full article, click here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/suicide-should-not-be-an-occupational-hazard-for-doctors/article27444903/ |
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Supporting and enhancing students' and health professionals' knowledge and understanding of mental health and psychiatry
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