Yale University settles lawsuit alleging it pressured students with mental health issues to withdraw – CTV News [2023-08-26]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

Yale University and a student group announced Friday that they’ve reached a settlement in a federal lawsuit that accused the Ivy League school of discriminating against students with mental health disabilities, including pressuring them to withdraw.

Under the agreement, Yale will modify its policies regarding medical leaves of absence, including streamlining the reinstatement process for students who return to campus. The student group, which also represents alumni, had argued the process was onerous, discouraging students for decades from taking medical leave when they needed it most.

The settlement is a “watershed moment” for the university and mental health patients, said 2019 graduate Rishi Mirchandani, a co-founder of Elis for Rachael, the group that sued. It was formed to help students with mental health issues in honor of a Yale student who took her own life.

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CTV News
August 26, 2023

‘Almost died a few times’: Northern Ontario city of Sudbury grapples with opioids – Global News [2023-08-25]

— Posted inSubstance Use — 1 min read

Crystal Plume sits in the shade of a tree near a busy intersection in downtown Sudbury and carefully injects fentanyl into a vein on the back of her hand before licking the speck of blood left behind.

The 36-year-old who regularly panhandles in the northern Ontario city says her substance use disorder has worsened in recent years and she’s lost many friends to opioid overdoses.

“Before there used to be the drunks, the winos, but you don’t see those anymore,” says Plume.

“Everyone is using drugs now. It’s the fastest and easiest way to numb your pain. I was only smoking at first, now I smash it.”

Plume says she turns to opioids as a way to deal with past domestic abuse and other personal trauma. She lives with a friend who also uses opioids and says they’ve both come close to fatal overdoses.

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Global News
August 25, 2023

Grab a tissue while you can: Kleenex tissues to be discontinued in Canada – CTV News [2023-08-24]

— Posted inMiscellaneous — 1 min read

Have an issue? Grab a tissue — before they’re pulled off of shelves in Canada.

Kimberly-Clark is discontinuing its consumer facial tissue business in Canada, citing “unique complexities.”

In a written statement issued Thursday, the company confirmed to CTVNews.ca that Kleenex consumer facial tissues would no longer be sold in Canada as of August 2023.

Other products, however, such as Kleenex professional facial products, which are specifically targeted for the business market, Kleenex consumer hand towel products, along with other Kimberly-Clark brands including Cottonelle, Viva, U by Kotex, Poise, Depend , Huggies, Pull-Ups and Goodnites will remain in the Canadian market.

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CTV News
August 24, 2023

Ontario cities watching as London rolls out first-of-its-kind homeless response – CBC News [2023-08-23]

— Posted inHousing, Poverty — 1 min read

Municipal leaders dedicated the final day of the Association of Ontario Municipalities (AMO) conference to discuss collaborative solutions to homelessness as a housing crisis continues across the province.

AMO looked to its host London, along with Kingston — two cities that are taking the lead in tackling the situation, while also providing support to the most vulnerable.

London’s soon to be implemented whole of community system response has piqued the interest of other politicians who asked questions about how to enact a similar system in their jurisdictions, according to Mayor Josh Morgan who detailed the plan to delegates on Wednesday.

“I see municipalities united on this issue,” Morgan told reporters. “All through this conference, people are looking at things that London is doing and saying ‘How do we bring those best practices here’? There’s a commitment to supply services to communities where they’re at.”

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CBC News
August 23, 2023

Fail fast— make corrections— move forward: Mayor Morgan’s unvarnished take on rollout of homelessness strategy – CTV News [2023-08-23]

— Posted inHousing, Poverty — 1 min read

Some frank talk by London Mayor Josh Morgan may be aimed at managing community expectations for London’s upcoming Whole of Community Response to Homelessness ahead of a series of public meetings.

On Wednesday, Morgan co-hosted a session in front of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, along with Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson, about their communities’ similar homeless strategies that combine low-barrier service hubs and supportive housing units.

Morgan acknowledged the political courage of city council to back a strategy that is still evolving.

“We have to accept that we are playing a game that’s never been played before,” admitted Morgan in a matter-of-fact tone. “That means we are going to make a mistake. And we are going to get criticized, fairly heavily at times, for that mistake.”

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CTV News
August 23, 2023

His brother died in an Ontario jail. Advocates say calls for reform to prevent such deaths are being ignored – CBC News [2023-08-23]

— Posted inCorrections — 2 min read

In May this year, Nathan Gray noticed his phone buzzing. His cousin was trying to reach him.

When he picked up the FaceTime call, he saw the serious look on his cousin’s face and knew something was wrong. “I just had this feeling,” he said.

Gray’s cousin told him that his older brother, Ashton Gray, 34, had died by suicide while awaiting trial in Toronto South Detention Centre, a provincial jail in Etobicoke.

“I dropped the phone and started crying,” he said. “I was shocked, like, why the hell my brother?”

Gray’s suicide in custody sent shockwaves through his family and those who provided him with support for mental health and addictions issues they say had plagued him throughout his adult life and were sparked by a traumatic childhood characterized by abuse in group homes.

His death is part of a disturbing trend in the province, where deaths in custody have increased over the last decade, according to data published by the province and advocacy organizations. Academics and advocates say recommended reforms to the corrections system need to be carried out to save lives and provide treatment for offenders, rather than having jails serve as an expensive revolving door.

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CBC News
August 23, 2023

‘Sorry, pardon me’: Is London, Ont. really that polite? – CTV News [2023-08-21]

— Posted inSociety — 1 min read

London may be known for green trees and, lately, seemingly endless road construction, but now it has another claim to fame.

A new nationwide survey has found Londoners are among the most polite in the nation, with the Forest City just squeaking into the top 10 of the 44 communities surveyed.

But is the finding accurate?

CTV News London opted to survey those who move about regularly.

The first stop was taxicab driver Youssef El-Shourafa. In his 20 years of driving in London, he found the city turns a bit rude at night.

But that changes when the sun comes up.

“You see many nice people, especially in the daytime. 99 per cent of the people are very good,” he said.

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CTV News
August 21, 2023

Caffeine can’t replace sleep: Research shows caffeine improves attention but not complex thinking after sleep deprivation – PsyPost [2023-08-21]

— Posted inHealth & Fitness, Mental Health — 1 min read

There is no denying the importance of sleep. Everyone feels better after a good night of sleep, and lack of sleep can have profoundly negative effects on both the body and the brain. So what can be done to substitute for a lack of sleep? Put another way, how can you get less sleep and still perform at your peak?

As a psychologist who studies the ways in which sleep benefits memory, I’m also interested in how sleep deprivation harms memory and cognition. After some initial research on sleep deprivation and false confessions, my students at Michigan State University’s Sleep and Learning Lab and I wanted to see what interventions could reverse the negative effects of sleep deprivation.

We found a simple answer: There is no substitute for sleep.

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PsyPost
August 21, 2023

Why People Don’t Take Your Depression Seriously – Psychology Today [2023-08-21]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

Talking about your depression is extremely difficult. Sometimes, even when you’ve finally built up the courage to talk about it, nothing changes. It’s easy to assume that people don’t care about you or they don’t believe you when opening up to them doesn’t change anything, but it’s likely more complicated than that. I’ll explain some of the reasons the people you care about don’t take your depression as seriously as you want them to.

One of the reasons your friends and family members aren’t treating your depression with the respect it deserves is that…they forget. I know your depression is obvious to you and impacts how you live most of your life, but for the people around you, it’s an invisible piece of information. In their eyes, you’re doing the things you’ve normally done and talking the way you’ve always talked, so it’s very easy to forget that internally you feel like you’re drowning.

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Psychology Today
August 21, 2023

16 Wrong Ideas About Mental Illness – Psychology Today [2023-08-21]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

Mental illness may sometimes be difficult to discuss, in part because friends and family may summon the worst images from the TV and movies. But those depictions often aren’t accurate or even likely.

So this post might be useful if you’re hearing (or sensing) any of these common, but wrong, ideas. And if you’re assuming the worst about a loved one, the good news is that you may be wrong.

  1. Myth: Mental illness is rare. Reality: About one in five experience some form of mental illness in any year. About one in 20 have a serious condition, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression.

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Psychology Today
August 21, 2023

Virtual addictions program in Thamesville shuts down due to funding issues – CBC News [2023-08-20]

— Posted inSubstance Use — 1 min read

A Thamesville, Ont., organization says it’s being forced to shut down its virtual recovery program because its been unable to secure sustainable funding.

Westover Treatment Centre, running in Chatham-Kent since 1986, stopped the program this month, and has had to lay off highly-skilled addictions counsellors, said Laird Brush, the organization’s executive director.

“We’ve had to turn clients away that that won’t have access to addiction treatment because it’s not available to them,” he said. “As a result, people are going to stay sick and some of them are going to die.”

The virtual addiction treatment day program launched in October 2021 during the pandemic with funding from the Ministry of Health. Funding ended in March of this year, and while they’ve tried to run the program since, it’s no longer financially feasible, he said.

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CBC News
August 20, 2023

Autistic people at higher risk of self-harm, psychiatric illness: study – Global News [2023-08-10]

— Posted inAutism, Mental Health — 1 min read

Researchers are calling for improved diagnosis, prevention and treatment of psychiatric illness among autistic people after finding they are at a higher risk of self-harm and suicide than non-autistic people.

“We think psychiatric diagnosis plays a very important role in explaining these increased risks,” said lead author Dr. Meng-Chuan Lai, a staff psychiatrist and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

The new study, conducted by CAMH and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), found that autistic females had an 83 per cent increased risk of self-harm than non-autistic females.

Autistic males had a 47 per cent higher risk of self-harm than non-autistic males.

The researchers also found that deaths by suicide were “rare,” but autistic people were still at higher risk and that psychiatric disorders were a factor.

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Global News
August 10, 2023

No joke: Satirical websites get caught up in Meta’s quest to block news in Canada – CBC News [2023-08-10]

— Posted inSociety, Technology — 1 min read

Luke Gordon Field is trying to figure out how he can explain the concept of deadpan satire to an algorithm.

He says he never thought in a million years that the need to explain a joke would transcend humans. But it’s a situation he believes he has found himself in as editor-in-chief of the Beaverton, a Canadian comedy website.

Meta is in the process of removing all news from its Facebook and Instagram platforms in Canada in response to a new law that would force the company to compensate media outlets for content that is shared or otherwise repurposed on their platforms.

But satirical sites are getting caught up in the tech giant’s quest, too — even though their human audiences know they aren’t news.

It’s an error that some publications say could threaten their survival.

“I don’t want to be too dramatic, but in a world where Facebook completely cuts us off, I mean, there’s a very real chance we do not survive that,” Field told the Canadian Press.

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CBC News
August 10, 2023

Animal therapy program shows promise in Canadian prisons, study found – CTV News [2023-08-09]

— Posted inCorrections — 1 min read

A graduate student from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is looking into what she describes as the transformative power of animal therapy programs at Canadian correctional facilities.

Five years ago, Grace Rath, along with her black Labrador companion, Jager, volunteered in a therapy dog program.

Intrigued by what she calls the profound impact of the relationships between participants and the dogs, Rath embarked on an in-depth investigation to understand whether these furry friends could help incarcerated individuals break free from internalized stigma, restore their self-confidence and improve the institution’s overall environment.

The findings shed light on the unique and powerful connections formed between inmates and therapy dogs, offering a more positive environment and effective rehabilitation strategies, said Rath.

“The main thing that I found was the dogs were able to be physically and emotionally present with the participants in ways that human interventions hadn’t been able to before,” she told CTVNews.ca over the phone on July 21.

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CTV News
August 9, 2023

Local hospital staff frequently deal with violent, aggressive patients, new numbers show – CBC News [2023-08-08]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

She’s only been on the job for two years, but London registered nurse Lannie Seddon has already been punched in the head by a patient.

She’s one of many hospital workers who face violence and aggression at work on a regular basis — something London’s hospitals are trying to prevent and mitigate, but a reality nonetheless.

Data obtained by CBC News shows 165 Code White calls at Victoria and University hospitals in the last two years — sometimes as many as 14 times a month. A Code White is activated when someone is behaving in a ptentially dangerous manner toward themselves or others and could escalate.

“I’ve seen people being bitten, hit, swatted, punched. Lots of people getting physically hurt,” said Seddon, who works in a London hospital. CBC News has agreed not to identify her exact workplace.

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CBC News
August 8, 2023

How Heat Can Affect Your Mental Health – Psychology Today [2023-08-04]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

As rising temperatures continue to break records this summer, it is important to remember that extreme heat affects not just our physical health but also our mental health.

Elevated cortisol levels, induced by rising temperatures, can trigger stress responses, making individuals feel moody and agitated. The parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for promoting calmness and relaxation, becomes less active at higher temperatures, leaving us vulnerable to stress.

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Psychology Today
August 4, 2023

Suicide Most Common Cause of Death in People With Schizophrenia, Study Finds – Psych News Alert [2023-08-04]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

Suicide is the most common cause of death in patients who have schizophrenia spectrum disorders, a study in Schizophrenia Bulletin has found.

Marie Stefanie Kejser Starzer, M.D., of Copenhagen University Hospital and colleagues analyzed data from the OPUS I study, a randomized controlled trial of 578 patients experiencing their first episode of psychosis. Patients enrolled in the study between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2000. When the patients enrolled, they were between 18 and 45 years old; had received first-time treatment for a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder, delusional disorder, acute or transient psychosis, schizoaffective disorder, or nonspecific nonorganic psychosis; and had not received antipsychotic medication for more than 12 weeks. They were randomized to receive treatment as usual or a specialized early intervention that consisted of two years of assertive community treatment (including family involvement, social skills training, and psychoeducation) by a multidisciplinary team. Patients were then assessed multiple times over a 20-year period.

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Psych News Alert
August 4, 2023

Ontario First Nation chief calls for more support amid opioid emergency – CTV News [2023-08-04]

— Posted inIndigenous, Substance Use — 1 min read

One First Nation community in Ontario has officially declared a state of emergency due to an opioid crisis.

“In the last five years we’ve had over 45 deaths, drug-related to the opioid crisis,” Chief Veronica Smith, of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation in Ontario, told CTV National News. “If we don’t start dealing with the problem, then it will only get worse.”

On June 26, during Chippewas of Nawash council meeting, the community declared a state of emergency as a result of the crisis’ overwhelming need for services and support, Smith explained.

Smith, who lost her son to a fentanyl overdose, knows first hand the toll this crisis is taking on families.

“His addiction just didn’t start over night. He had a long standing addiction that, over the years, was getting worse. And the drugs were getting worse. And the drugs are getting more addictive,” she explained.

“I don’t even think he realized how addictive fentanyl was.”

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CTV News
August 4, 2023

What a Winnipeg drug treatment court means for the fight against drugs – Global News [2023-08-03]

— Posted inJustice, Substance Use — 1 min read

For nearly two decades, a drug treatment court in Winnipeg has offered a way out of the cycle of drug abuse. Now. in a bid to support the court and its programs, the province and Justice Canada have signed a joint-five-year funding agreement.

This would enable millions of dollars to be used to accommodate an increase of participants over the years — about 20 to 30 more annually, while opening the doors to enhanced drug screening, counselling, treatment services, and case management.

The court, according to the Manitoba government, offers an alternative sentencing model when dealing with criminal offences related to substance abuse. Treatment and intervention are offered to offenders, along with a 12-to-18-month program for recovery.

In a press release on Aug. 3, the province noted that the court adopts a collaborative approach with its treatment program, with justice, treatment agencies and community partners working together to create an environment conducive to recovery and rehabilitation.

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Global News
August 3, 2023

Mental health care access, electronic options, surgical backlogs: Report lays out health-care overhaul priorities – CTV News [2023-08-02]

— Posted inMental Health, Society — 1 min read

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has released a new report, which lays out the key areas that governments need to focus on in order to improve struggling health-care systems.

The report is the result of an agreement between the federal, provincial and territorial governments to investigate where they can improve health care can be improved in Canada.

Governments, with the exception of Quebec, agreed to work with CIHI to collect and share their health-care data. CIHI plans to share the results publicly every year, making this report the first of an annual series.

This first report, which focuses on giving a snapshot of the current landscape of Canadian health care, found that surgeries dropped by 13 per cent during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels and that Canada is underutilizing the potential of electronic tools, with fewer than 40 per cent of Canadians reporting that they’ve accessed their health information online before.

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CTV News
August 2, 2023

Half the population to have a mental health disorder by 75 – Science Daily [2023-07-31]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

A global study co-led by researchers from The University of Queensland and Harvard Medical School has found one in two people will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime.

Professor John McGrath from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, Professor Ronald Kessler from Harvard Medical School, and their colleagues from 27 other countries, analysed data from more than 150,000 adults across 29 countries between 2001 and 2022, taken from the largest ever coordinated series of face-to-face interviews — the World Health Organisation’s World Mental Health Survey initiative.

Lead author Professor McGrath said the results demonstrate the high prevalence of mental health disorders, with 50 per cent of the population developing at least one disorder by the age of 75.

“The most common were mood disorders such as major depression or anxiety,” Professor McGrath said.

“We also found the risk of certain mental disorders differed by sex.”

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Science Daily
July 31, 2023

Hamilton lawyers struggle to get same-day access to clients in jail – CBC News [2023-08-01]

— Posted inJustice — 1 min read

Hamilton lawyers say they’re struggling to get timely access to clients who are imprisoned in the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre.

“It’s definitely not in the best interest of the inmates and the lawyers,” Asgar Manek, a local lawyer, told CBC Hamilton. “I have to stand up for what is right.”

Manek and other lawyers say before the pandemic, lawyers could walk into the facility and meet with their client on the same day.

Since the pandemic, the lawyers say there have been fewer rooms available for consultation with clients and lawyers have to set up an appointment before meeting their client.

Manek said he once walked in to try and speak with a client in jail and left after being stuck waiting for 40 minutes.

“It’s an impediment … definitely prohibitive,” Lauren Wilhelm, a local criminal defence lawyer, said.

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CBC News
August 1, 2023