Category: Initiatives - Beyond The Body

Beyond The Body

Mental Health Awareness Week 2017 - Part 2

5/7/2017

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

Mental Health Week 2017

5/1/2017

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!

Turning Thoughts and Words into Advocacy Actions

2/1/2017

Last week, millions of Canadians rallied together to raise money for mental health initiatives around the country through Bell Let's Talk.

While this annual event has led to millions of dollars being raised, encouraged individuals to share their stories of lived experiences with mental illness, and helped to combat stigma in our society, there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done to make meaningful changes that improve access to much needed public mental health services.

Dr. Catherine Zahn, President and CEO of CAMH - Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, speaks just to this. In a recent article, she calls on us to take action and continue working towards change at the governmental level. As she states, it's time we advocate for political efforts and policies that prioritize mental health care, which would mean increased funding for more mental health services and programs, reducing long wait times and high rates of untreated patients, and increased support for mental health research and innovation.

"We need to question a publicly funded national health care system that does not cover effective treatments for mental illness—especially when governments of all levels claim that mental health is central to all health. Currently, there is no mechanism for Canadians, especially those with limited means, to access some of the most effective interventions. A commonly recommended form of structured psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, is generally covered in Canada through a third party insurance provider, or at a public hospital like CAMH. A good third-party insurance policy covers about one and a half sessions per year. Think about the absurdity of covering only one and a half sessions of chemotherapy or palliative care. Why should a lower standard for mental health care be acceptable to us? Access to evidence-based treatment like structured psychotherapy is a healthcare right—not a luxury—for the thousands of Canadians living with mental illness."

http://torontoist.com/2017/01/fund-mental-health/

Bell Let's Talk Day 2017

1/25/2017

It's that time of year again! Today is Bell Let's Talk Day! Get involved and show your support by joining in on the conversation, advocating for mental health and sharing your stories.

Bell will donate 5¢ more to mental health initiatives for every: text, call, tweet & post using #BellLetsTalk, view of our Facebook video and snap using the Bell Let’s Talk geofilter.

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/

We Matter - A Campaign to Build Stronger Indigenous Youth

12/6/2016

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

Mental Illness Awareness Week 2016

10/3/2016

Don't forget that this week (October 2 - October 8 2016) is Mental Illness Awareness Week, a public education campaign run annually by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health.

"This year’s MIAW theme is Spreading Awareness, Reducing Stigma. As one in five Canadians live with mental health issues, the campaign encourages Canadians to share their personal stories about stigma and how it negatively affects them in their personal life, in the workplace, or in their community."

To find out more about this campaign, watch videos from Canadians impacted by mental illness share their stories, and get in on the online conversation you can use #MIAW2016 on Twitter or visit http://www.camimh.ca.

Resiliency Training Starting To Roll Out Across Canadian Medical Programs

9/18/2016

With increasing evidence shedding light on the high rates of burn-out, depression, and suicide among medical students, residents, and new physicians, there has been a new focus on better training our new generation of physicians for dealing with the emotional and psychological strain and stress of medical training.

Recently, an article was published by Macleans, which reviews some of the new resiliency programs being offered to medical students and residents at programs across the country.

To find out more, click here: http://www.macleans.ca/education/new-curriculum-addresses-mental-health-for-young-doctors/

World Suicide Prevention Day 2016 - Part 3

9/10/2016

Did you know that as part of #WSPD, you can get involved by wearing an orange/yellow ribbon which helps to raise awareness for suicide prevention, as well as, show support to those who are suicide survivors or have lost a loved one to suicide.

2016 marks the inaugural year of the universal suicide prevention awareness ribbon. "Yellow and orange were shown to be the two most frequently used colours in suicide prevention awareness around the world. The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) also believes orange and yellow colours illicit feelings of hope, like the dawning of a sunrise on a new day." The IASP also uses these colours as it reflects the burning flame of a candle, reflecting hope and offering a light in the darkness.

World Suicide Prevention Day 2016

9/10/2016

Did you know that today, September 10th, is World Suicide Prevention Day?

Every year the International Association for Suicide Prevention holds #WSPD to raise awareness for suicide, which takes the life of an individual every 40 seconds around the world, including that of 4000 Canadians every year.

This year the theme is "Connect, communicate, care", three vital ingredients in addressing and preventing suicide in our communities.

To learn more about this year's WSPD and how you can get involved, check out the links below. You can also get involved by joining the conversation on Twitter by using #WSPD.

https://www.iasp.info/wspd/index.php
http://suicideprevention.ca/wspd/