A killer is found not criminally responsible. The Crown and defence agree the system is broken – CBC News [2023-12-16]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Justice, Mental Health — 1 min read

For defence lawyer Marni Munsterman, the “discomforting and alarming” detail that stood out in the large volume of evidence about Adam Rossi — who was found not criminally responsible on Friday of the second-degree murder of Sommer Boudreau, and interfering with her remains, in the Ottawa Valley a year ago — was one of his more recent hospitalizations.

That hospitalization, for mania stemming from his bipolar disorder, occurred before he killed Boudreau, 39, in his duplex in Deep River, Ont., in early December 2022.

A psychiatrist was contemplating a community treatment order for Rossi with long-acting injectable medication, something that could have helped after he kept deciding to stop taking the antipsychotic pills that court heard quickly eased his symptoms.

“For whatever reason, that didn’t happen,” Munsterman said.

She called it a “travesty,” and said it shows “how broken our system truly has become” in providing support to people with mental illness.

Read more here:

CBC News
December 16, 2023

Why Bad Grammar Activates Our Fight-or-Flight Response – Psychology Today [2023-12-14]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Miscellaneous, Society — 1 min read

Does grammar matter? And did you have a teacher in your youth who insisted on drumming the rules of good grammar into you—and was that teacher on the stern and grumpy side of the instructional continuum?

My anecdotal research into these questions over the years has gradually built a composite picture of a somewhat terrifying authority figure, either male or female, who insisted on good grammar as the essential basis of a sound education. They managed to impart enough of it to you so that you cringe when someone uses “among” and “between” interchangeably—or flubs the distinction between ‘that” and “which” because of a fatal lack of understanding of the difference between an independent and dependent clause.

Now, a study reveals that your response to those solecisms (and your bad-tempered teacher’s response) is indeed physiological: The grammar of language affects us viscerally.

Read more here:

Psychology Today
December 14, 2023

We want to keep people alive’: Outreach workers call for tools to combat toxic new street drugs – CBC News [2023-12-14]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Substance Use — 1 min read

Walking through the Glengarry non-profit housing complex in Windsor, Ont., harm reduction outreach co-ordinator Lacie Krzemien is exhausted.

The recent news that Windsor’s only safe consumption site, Safepoint, will pause operations at the end of December has left her despondent.

“I’m upset, because it’s taking away another resource. It means more of my clients are at a higher risk of death,” said Krzemien, who distributes safe supplies for people using drugs with Pozitive Pathways Community Services.

She says the announcement comes at a time when the drug supply has become increasingly toxic. The arrival of drugs such as “tranq,” fentanyl mixed with xylazine, an animal tranquillizer that’s resistant to naloxone, is making the overdose crisis even more complicated.

Tranq has also become infamous for causing users to develop seeping wounds.

Earlier this year, Health Canada released a report that said tranq was spreading rapidly across Canada. In 2022, 75 per cent of the drug samples tested that contained xylazine were from Ontario. According to Ontario’s coroner, xylazine has been detected in 184 drug toxicity deaths since 2020.

At least two of those were in Windsor.

Read more here:

CBC News
December 14, 2023

New psychology research reveals a strong link between life purpose and reduced depression – PsyPost [2023-12-09]

2024-06-14 — Mental Health — 2 min read

Recent research has demonstrated a significant connection between having a sense of purpose in life and lower levels of depression and anxiety. This finding, based on data from tens of thousands of individuals and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, suggests that having a sense that your life has meaning and direction can influence your mental well-being.

Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health disorders globally, impacting the lives of millions. The World Health Organization has identified depression as a leading cause of disability worldwide. Given their prevalence and impact, finding ways to effectively prevent and treat these conditions is a high priority in public health and psychology.

Understanding how purpose in life interacts with mental health disorders can inform treatment and prevention strategies. If a strong sense of purpose is found to be significantly protective against depression and anxiety, mental health professionals can integrate methods to cultivate and strengthen this sense of purpose in therapeutic interventions.

“One of my interests is the area of positive psychology, which focuses on individuals’ strengths and growth potential. Having purpose in life can be a strength and may assist individuals both in flourishing and in buffering the effects of adverse events,” said study author Nicola Schutte, an associate professor of psychology at the University of New England in Australia.

Read more here:

PsyPost
December 9, 2023

Does microdosing magic mushrooms help people with mental health issues? Science is trying to find out – CBC News [2023-12-09]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Mental Health — 1 min read

“Microdosing saved my life,” says Andrina Stan.

Stan, 35, works as an integrative therapist in Toronto and has struggled with her mental health at times. Stan says she believes it was psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient found in magic mushrooms, that helped her turn her life around.

“In December 2020 I found myself in the middle of this living space, curled up in a ball,” she explains. “It was a very dark space. So I was contemplating suicide.”

Stan says she tried different therapies but nothing really helped until she found magic mushrooms — which are illegal to produce, possess and sell in Canada without special permission.

“I’m not sure that I would still be here if it weren’t for microdosing,” Stan says.

Read more here:

CBC News
December 9, 2023

Bariatric surgery saved my life. But it wasn’t the ‘easy’ way out of weight loss – CBC News [2023-12-09]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Health & Fitness — 2 min read

As a child, I was always what some would call “the chubby girl.” Later, as a single mom of two children living in a low-income neighbourhood, I couldn’t always put quality food on the table. A bag of frozen fries was cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables.

My weight ballooned to 246 pounds. Even walking around the mall was sometimes hard on my back, and I had a hard time shopping for my weight. I tried lots of diets — I would lose some weight only to gain it back a few months later.

Then, in 2018, my doctor suggested I consider bariatric surgery. I got the referral but while waiting for the appointment, I often second-guessed my decision. Being from a Haitian background, I knew many in my community wouldn’t understand why I wanted this surgery. Food is the centre of Caribbean life. Whether celebrating a birth or mourning a death in the family, food is always there. We show love by feeding our relatives and friends. And if someone refuses our offer of food, we might think you’re sick or there’s something wrong.

When I told some family members that I was waiting for bariatric surgery, their first response was, “Why? You’re not fat. You carry your weight very well.”

Some of my friends would comment, “Oh, when you get skinny, you’ll think you’re better than us.” And yet, these were the same friends who would comment, “You’re not ugly. You’re cute for a big girl.” That phrase was said so often to me, and I hated and resented it. And so, I held onto my decision to go through with the surgery. It was the right choice for my health and for my future.

Read more here:

CBC News
December 9, 2023

On the Brink: The ‘harsh environment’ of youth homelessness from a lived experience – Global News [2023-12-08]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Housing, Poverty, Youth — 2 min read

Kat Bagnald knows what it’s like to be on the brink.

At the young age of 20, she’s already been through a lot. She struggled with housing insecurity since she was 16 and has spent the last four years between shelters, couches, and the streets.

Being a young person can be challenging at the best of times, but when you’re also struggling with not having a stable place to live, life becomes especially difficult.

“It’s a really taxing experience mentally for anyone, but especially for a youth who’s still got a developing brain,” said Bagnald. “It’s a really harsh environment. Youth get taken advantage of a lot, because we’re vulnerable.”

She said there are a lot of dangers youth can face while living on the streets.

“I’ve been jumped by people I’ve trusted,” she said. “It’s really dangerous out there.”

Trying to fend for yourself at such a young age can also be lonely.

“When you’re unhoused, there’s so many barriers,” said Bagnald. “There’s evident ones, like not having food and a roof over your head, but also (not) having supportive people around you as well.”

After being unable to find a shelter bed in her hometown of Halifax, Bagnald made the more-than 300-kilometre move to Yarmouth, a small town on the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia.

Read more here:

Global News
December 8, 2023

How tiny shelters in Ontario are looking to fill the gap for those in need of housing – Global News [2023-12-08]

2024-06-14 — Housing — 2 min read

Rows of tiny cabins across a Kitchener, Ont., neighbourhood have been catching the eye of several communities across the province that’ve begun duplicating the model, hoping to bridge the gap between homelessness and permanent housing.

A Better Tent City (ABTC) co-founder and chair Jeff Wilmer says compassion from the community, support from city politicians and the local public school board made their small community possible, and it’s inspiring copies across the province.

“Now Waterloo Region, the municipal government here, has basically replicated our community with a second tiny home community, also with 50 cabins,” Wilmer said.

“It looks very much like ours, and so having a good solution distributed in multiple places seems to be one approach.”

Peterborough came on board this past week with its own cabin community, while Hamilton continues to explore the prospect.

The intention is to temporarily house people living rough with challenges, like mental illness, drug addiction and isolation, in a community with supports to stabilize their lives.

But for some stakeholders, it’s still too early to tell if the scheme has legs long-term and can be a viable transitional piece to house those experiencing homelessness.

Read more here:

Global News
December 8, 2023

Woman who threw hot burrito bowl at Chipotle worker sentenced to fast food job – CBC News [2023-12-06]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Justice, Society — 1 min read

A woman who threw a hot burrito bowl in a Chipotle worker’s face because she didn’t like the way it was prepared may soon learn what it’s like to be on the other side of the counter.

An Ohio judge sentenced 39-year-old Rosemary Hayne to three months in jail for assault, but offered to shorten her sentence by 60 days — if she agreed to work at a fast food restaurant.

Emily Russell, the victim of the burrito bowl attack, says she’s “truly happy with the outcome.”

“I honestly thought she was going to get a slap on the wrist and nothing of it,” Russell told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. “Having her have to walk in my shoes, and go to jail, I think it’s a perfect outcome.”

Joe O’Malley, Hayne’s attorney, told CBC his client “is grateful for the opportunity to get a job to reduce her sentence and demonstrate her true remorse for her behaviour at Chipotle.”

“She truly regrets her actions and the pain that it caused,” he said in an email.

Read more here:

CBC News
December 6, 2023

Voluntary decals to alert B.C. first responders to presence of people who are neurodivergent – Global News [2023-12-06]

2024-06-122024-06-14 — Autism, Developmental Disabilities, Mental Health, Police — 1 min read

Families across the province will soon have access to a new set of stickers for their vehicles or homes, alerting first responders to the presence of a loved one with autism or another type of neurodivergence.

The BC Association of Chiefs of Police will make the voluntary decals available for pickup at police stations next year. The intent of the new resource is to alert first responders attending a scene so they can adjust their response appropriately, association president Fiona Wilson told Global News.

“That would just let the officer know that they should rely on their training and make sure that they’re communicating in a way that resonates with an individual who is autistic or neurodiverse,” the Vancouver police deputy chief constable explained.

“Just like any situation, the more information and background that our responding members have with respect to a person, the better they’re able to tailor their response.”

Read more here:

Global News
December 6, 2023

New Mental Health Guidelines from the World Health Organization: Psychosocial treatments are given precedence over pharmaceutical ones – Psychology Today [2023-12-06]

2024-06-122024-06-12 — Mental Health — 1 min read

The World Health Organization recently released its 2023 diagnostic and treatment guide to mental, neurological, and substance use disorders.

Last updated in 2016, adopted in more than 100 countries worldwide, and translated into more than 20 languages, the 150-page document provides more guidance than earlier editions, with a new section on anxiety disorders and summarized evidence of what are currently most effective and least costly treatments.

The WHO considers mental, neurological, and substance use disorders “major contributors to morbidity and premature mortality in all regions of the world.” Yet treatment is poorly matched, with insufficient resources causing significant treatment gaps. In 2019, the latest edition found that mental, neurological, and substance use disorders were responsible for 10.1 percent of the global burden of disease as measured in disability-adjusted life-years and 25.1 percent of all years lived with disability.

Read more here:

Psychology Today
December 6, 2023

Naloxone: What to know about the opioid overdose-reversing drug, free across Canada – CTV News [2023-12-03]

2023-12-032023-12-03 — Substance Use — 1 min read

Health Canada has called the opioid crisis one of the most serious public health threats in recent history, and an addictions specialist says everyone can play a part in helping reduce the death toll. All it takes is access to naloxone, a life-saving medication that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose.

“It’s something that all adult Canadians, and I would hazard to guess teenagers as well, should have access to and be aware of,” said Dr. Sam Hickcox, chief officer of the Nova Scotia government’s Office of Mental Health and Addictions. “If there’s something we could do to save a life, why wouldn’t we?”

He compared administering naloxone to using an EpiPen to treat someone having an anaphylactic allergic reaction.

Hickcox said the country’s ongoing opioid epidemic has been made worse as Canada’s illicit drug supply became “poisoned” in recent years with toxic, highly potent opioid additives like fentanyl and carfentanil. Some users report not knowing what’s in the drugs they’re using.

“It’s been wreaking havoc across the country … starting in the West Coast and heading eastward,” he said in a recent interview.

Read more here:

CTV News
December 3, 2023

Musk uses expletive to tell audience he doesn’t care about advertisers that fled X over hate speech – CTV News [2023-11-29]

2023-11-292023-11-29 — Society, Technology — 1 min read

Billionaire Elon Musk said Wednesday that advertisers who have halted spending on his social media platform X in response to antisemitic and other hateful material are engaging in “blackmail” and, using a profanity, essentially told them to go away.

“Don’t advertise,” Musk said.

He appeared to specifically call out Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger, saying, “Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience … that’s how I feel.”

In an on-stage interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit, Musk also apologized for endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory in response to a post on X that helped fuel an advertiser exodus.

Read more here:

CTV News
November 29, 2023

Growing number of homeless people turning to ERs for shelter and warmth in Ontario, study says – CBC News [2023-11-28]

2023-11-292023-11-29 — Housing, Poverty — 1 min read

When Dr. Carolyn Snider arrives for her early morning emergency room shifts, she regularly sees between five and 10 people in the waiting area who don’t need medical attention— just a safe place to stay warm.

“[They’re] truly there to just stay out of the elements,” said Snider, chief of the emergency department at St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto.

“This has already been occurring this fall. I can’t even imagine what will be occurring over the upcoming [winter] months,” she said.

There’s been a significant increase in the number of homeless people taking refuge in downtown Toronto emergency departments over the last few winters, Snider said. She and colleagues did some research to see if they could quantify what they were seeing.

The resulting study, published on a pre-print website Tuesday, examined data that had been collected from hospitals across Ontario, documenting ER visits from the winter of 2018-19 through to last winter, ending March 31, 2023.

It found that non-urgent emergency department visits among people who are homeless increased by 24 per cent across the province over those five winters.

Read more here:

CBC News
November 28, 2023

Developmentally Disabled People Are Being Pushed into Homelessness – The Tyee [2023-11-28]

2023-11-282023-11-28 — Developmental Disabilities, Poverty, Society — 2 min read

Just before the summer started, Jon Harry was told he’d have to leave his room at a Duncan motel because the owner planned to renovate.

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Harry, on provincial disability benefits, had already been struggling to pay for his small motel room, which didn’t include a kitchen: rent was $1,100 a month, leaving just $200 to pay for food and other living expenses.

But Harry was unable to find a new place to rent, and for the last five months, he’s been sleeping rough.

“I was in a tarp and blanket, and then I was in a tent for a little bit,” the 34-year-old Duncan resident told The Tyee. “And now I’m trying to go to a shelter.”

Harry is one of a new wave of developmentally disabled people who are ending up homeless in B.C.

Organizations that support developmentally disabled clients say it’s a recent phenomenon, and a new low for a province that has struggled with rising homelessness, spiking rents and rampant real estate speculation for years.

Read more here:

The Tyee
November 28, 2023

Doctor points to gaps in London area child and youth mental health care – CBC News [2023-11-27]

2023-11-272023-11-27 — Mental Health, Youth — 1 min read

A doctor in Alymer, Ont., is speaking out after facing barriers to get outpatient mental health care for a 12-year-old patient identified as being at high risk for self-harm.

Dr. Michael Fernando is a general practitioner who took over as the family doctor for the girl last summer. Her mother has given Fernando permission to speak to CBC News about her health issues. CBC has agreed not to publish the girl’s name because she is a minor.

Fernando said that in assessing the patient, it was clear she needed extensive mental health supports, including outpatient care from a child psychologist.

“The mental health concerns were very severe,” said Fernando.

Over the past year, the girl’s parents had twice taken her to the emergency room for treatment for hallucinations and a desire for self-harm. She was provided a safety plan by doctors, but did not have a referral for outpatient care from a child psychologist.

Read more here:

CBC News
November 27, 2023

After 151 years, Popular Science will no longer offer a magazine – The Verge [2023-11-27]

2023-11-272023-11-27 — Science, Society, Technology — 2 min read

After 151 years, Popular Science will no longer be available to purchase as a magazine. In a statement to The Verge, Cathy Hebert, the communications director for PopSci owner Recurrent Ventures, says the outlet needs to “evolve” beyond its magazine product, which published its first all-digital issue in 2021.

PopSci, which covers a whole range of stories related to the fields of science, technology, and nature, published its first issue in 1872. Things have changed a lot over the years, with the magazine switching to a quarterly publication schedule in 2018 and doing away with the physical copies altogether after 2020.

In a post on LinkedIn, former PopSci editor Purbita Saha commented on the magazine’s discontinuation, stating she’s “frustrated, incensed, and appalled that the owners shut down a pioneering publication that’s adapted to 151 years worth of changes in the space of a five-minute Zoom call.” Layoffs have impacted journalists on the science beat particularly hard in recent weeks. National Geographic cut the remainder of the magazine’s editorial staff in June, followed by Gizmodo laying off its last climate reporter, and CNBC shuttering its climate desk last week.

Read more here:

The Verge
November 27, 2023

Why several big-box stores have ditched their self-checkouts – CBC News [2023-11-22]

2023-11-222023-11-22 — Society, Technology — 1 min read

After Dwayne Ouelette took over the Canadian Tire in North Bay, Ont., last year, he decided to buck the trend and ditch the store’s four self-checkout machines — which had been there for a decade.

“I’m not comfortable using them and I don’t think some of my customers are comfortable [either],” said Ouelette, who removed the machines in July and replaced them with cashiers.

“I’d rather my customers see my cashiers and if there’s any questions or concerns, at least there’s somebody they can talk to.”

When self-checkouts began their rise to prominence about a decade ago, they were seen as a way for retailers to cut labour costs and speed up the checkout process.

Soon, the machines outnumbered cashiers in many stores. But now, some big-box stores that previously embraced self-checkout have backtracked, and re-embraced an all-cashier, full-service format.

Along with North Bay, a Canadian Tire in Mississauga, Ont., recently ditched its machines.

Read more here:

CBC News
November 22, 2023

Loneliness is as bad for you as smoking, research shows. But the stigma stops people getting help – CBC News [2023-11-21]

2023-11-222023-11-22 — Mental Health, Society — 2 min read

Top health officials say loneliness is as bad for your health as smoking, but one doctor warns that the stigma around feeling lonely still stops people from reaching out for support.

“Just like thirst is a signal you need hydration, loneliness is a signal you need … human connection,” said Dr. Jeremy Nobel, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School and author of Project Unlonely: Healing our Crisis of Disconnection.

“Why is it we’re guilty and ashamed about being lonely, where we don’t feel that way about being thirsty?” he asked The Current’s Matt Galloway.

Last week the World Health Organization designated loneliness as a “global public health concern,” appointing U.S. surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy to lead an international commission to tackle the problem. Research has shown that loneliness is as bad for people’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

In a talk he gave at Yale last year, Murthy said he wants to raise the alarm about the shame people associate with loneliness.

“To say you’re lonely almost feels like saying you’re not likeable. Or even worse, that you’re not lovable. And I know this because that’s how I felt as a child when I struggled with loneliness over the years,” he said during the talk on Sept. 8, 2022.

Read more here:

CBC News
November 21, 2023

Autism Ontario troubled by Veltman defence team’s use of autism in criminal case – CTV News [2023-11-20]

2023-11-222023-11-22 — Autism, Justice — 1 min read

Autism Ontario is deeply troubled by the fact that the defense for Nathaniel Veltman tried to cite autism as a mitigating factor in the June 6, 2021 attack on the Afzaal family(opens in a new tab).

The advocating body for people on the spectrum do not want autism used as a legal defense in any criminal trials.

“This sort of legal tactic, it risks stereotyping and stigmatizing an entire population of people with autism,” said Autism Ontario Communications Specialist, Michael Cnudde.

During the 11 week-long murder week trial, Veltman’s defense called up a forensic psychiatrist who diagnosed Veltman with autism spectrum disorder this past year.

Ultimately, it did not play a factor and Veltman was found guilty of all charges in the attack on a London, Ont. Muslim family more than two years ago.

Michael Cnudde said sadly this isn’t the first time this tactic has been used.

Read more here:

CTV News
November 20, 2023

As Earth’s temperature rises, so do deaths among people with mental health problems – CTV News [2023-11-18]

2023-11-202023-11-20 — Mental Health — 2 min read

As the climate crisis gets worse, we know of farmers whose crops are drying up and people who lose their homes due to rampant wildfires.

But there’s another group for whom the climate crisis is a potentially lethal threat — people with mental health problems such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or anxiety.

And this threat has already become reality for some people. During a record-breaking heat wave in British Columbia in June 2021, 8 per cent of people who died from the extreme heat had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to a March study(opens in a new tab). That made the disorder a more dangerous risk factor than all other conditions the authors studied, including kidney disease and coronary artery disease.

“Until climate change gets under control, things are only going to get worse unfortunately,” said Dr. Robert Feder, a retired New Hampshire-based psychiatrist and the American Psychiatric Association’s representative to the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. “As the temperature keeps increasing, these effects are going to be magnified. There’s going to be more storms, more fires, and people are going to be more worried about what could happen because a lot more things are happening.”

Rising temperatures have also been associated with suicide attempts and increased rates of mental health-related emergency department visits, several studies have found. And long-term exposure to air pollution — which the climate crisis can worsen by adding more particles from droughts or wildfires — has been linked with elevated anxiety and an increase in suicides.

Read more here:

CTV News
November 18, 2023

IBM, EU, Disney and others pull ads from Elon Musk’s X as concerns about antisemitism fuel backlash – CTV News [2023-11-18]

2023-11-202023-11-20 — Society, Technology — 1 min read

Advertisers are fleeing social media platform X over concerns about their ads showing up next to pro-Nazi content and hate speech on the site in general, with billionaire owner Elon Musk inflaming tensions with his own posts endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

IBM, NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast said this week that they stopped advertising on X after a report said their ads were appearing alongside material praising Nazis — a fresh setback as the platform formerly known as Twitter tries to win back big brands and their ad dollars, X’s main source of revenue.

The liberal advocacy group Media Matters said in a report Thursday that ads from Apple and Oracle also were placed next to antisemitic material on X. On Friday it said it also found ads from Amazon, NBA Mexico, NBCUniversal and others next to white nationalist hashtags.

“IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation,” the company said in a statement.

Read more here:

CTV News
November 18, 2023