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Key Takeaways from Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Men
Men continue to account for most of Canada’s suicide deaths. Recognizing why and implementing appropriate suicide prevention strategies are critical to reducing these high rates. This resource summarizes the key takeaways from the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Men: Evidence Brief and highlights statistics on men’s mental health and suicidal behaviours, factors that contribute to their increased risk of suicide and suicide deaths, subgroups who are at higher risk of suicide, and the potential and observed impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on men’s mental health and suicide. The resource also highlights best and promising suicide prevention practices as well as resources for those looking for further support. Download key takeaways
The Ripple Effect of Mental Illness
Having a mental illness can make it challenging to live everyday life and maintain recovery. In this infographic from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), you can see some of the ways mental illness can impact lives and how the impact can ripple out.
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New Alcohol Use and Suicide Fact Sheet
Alcohol use has become a common social practice in Canada. Yet of the 4,000 suicide deaths in our country each year, almost one in four involve alcohol.
This new fact sheet, created by the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, will help you understand what is currently known about the relationship between alcohol use and suicide, who is most affected, and how individuals and communities can effectively reduce the risk. Fact Sheet
Hopeful News For People Who Have Treatment-Resistant Depression
A new study at Stanford University shows promise for people who suffer from treatment-resistant depression. Following a 5-day trial of Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT), 79% of participants experienced remissions of depression. Learn More
Zippy’s Friends and Passport Skills for Life Program Webinar
Watch this previously recorded MHCC webinar that describes two universal school-based mental health promotion programs. “Zippy’s Friends,” for 6-7 year olds, and “Passport Skills for Life,” for 9-11 year olds have convincing research to support their effectiveness in improving children’s coping and social skills, facilitating learning and reducing problem behaviours. Two-million children in 31 countries have benefited from “Zippy’s Friends.” “Passport: Skills for Life” is a newer program developed in Canada and is expanding worldwide. Both programs are enjoyable and highly appreciated by children, teachers, and parents. Watch Here
Forest Therapy
Spending mindful time in the company of trees is referred to by some as Shinrin Yoku, a Japanese term which translates as “forest bathing” and a practice that is gaining traction among health care professionals and the wider public. Andrea Prazmowski, Ottawa’s first certified nature and forest therapy guide, says people report that spending time in nature decreases rumination, boosts mood, creativity, and collaboration, and can even have an impact on one’s experience of pain. Learn More
Wellness Together Canada – Mental Health and Substance Use Support
Find free online resources, tools, apps and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals when needed can be found on this website that is dedicated to mental health wellness for all Canadians. Create an account and answer a series of questions to guide you in choosing from a variety of tools and resources. View Website
Fountain of Health
The Fountain of Health is a national non-profit initiative started at Dalhousie University Department of Psychiatry in 2011. It is dedicated to sharing the science of brain health and resilience and to translating that knowledge into practical action. Find tools for clinicians to use that support health behaviour change in 5 key health areas known to support long-term well-being. All of the clinical resources are free and available for use from the website. Learn More
New Implementation Toolkit Offers Practical Resources for Mental Health and Substance Use Care
The principle of recovery is essential for improving mental health systems and outcomes. To further advance the use of the recovery approach in mental health and substance use care, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) has just released Recovery-Oriented Practice: An Implementation Toolkit. The new toolkit builds on the MHCC’s Guidelines for Recovery Recovery-Oriented Practice and offers wide-ranging resources to show everyone across the health services system how to apply recovery-oriented approaches.
We Can Do Better: Urgent Innovations To Improve Mental Health Access and Care by David Goldbloom M.D.
A leading psychiatrist at CAMH reveals important issues in mental health care today and introduces innovations to revolutionize and improve mental health for everyone in Canada. Dr. Goldbloom shows barriers to care and other faults in mental health care systems. He then reveals simple, yet startlingly effective tools for improving access and treatment that can help people now—if we only had the will to share, use, and fund these (and more) brilliant innovations.
Mental Health and Substance Use During COVID-19: Spotlight on Canadian Households with Young Children
Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, many people are reporting concerns about increased substance use and mental health concerns. According to recent surveys by Leger on behalf of the Centre of Substance Use and Addiction and the Mental Health Commission of Canada, these concerns are greater among females with young children under the age of 13. See the full report here
Good Hygiene for Mental Health
Brushing our teeth every day is a small action that benefits our oral health in the long term. What if we applied the same model to our brains? Guillaume Tremblay and his colleagues make the case in their recently published paper, “Mental Hygiene: What It Is, Implications, and Future Directions” and suggest a few simple things anyone can do on a daily basis to support their own mental health. Read More
Mental Health and Substance Use Health During COVID-19
COVID-19 has impacted the lives of all Canadians, and in many cases it has impacted their mental health and substance use. With continued economic hardships, changes to our daily routines and separation from loved ones, Canadians’ mental health and substance use is expected to continue to worsen over the course of the pandemic. Learn More
Mental Health Commission of Canada set to Inquire, Inspire and Improve
The MHCC has released its 10-year strategic plan called Answering the Call that aims at transformational change in Canada’s mental health landscape. Learn More
Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Guidelines for Recovery-Oriented Practice
Putting Recovery Into Practice
Recovery in mental health is about people living satisfying, hopeful lives and contributing to society, even if they’re experiencing ongoing symptoms of a mental health problem and/or substance use. This new introduction summarizes the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Guidelines for Recovery-Oriented Practice. Learn More
Suicide Risk Assessment Toolkit: A resource for healthcare workers and organizations
The Mental Health Commission of Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, has just released its latest suicide risk assessment toolkit. The new toolkit’s high-level overview lets you know what to consider when using suicide risk assessment tools and describes a range of available tools. Read More
Study Determines Psychotherapy in Addition to Medication Helps Bipolar Disorder Patients Avoid Relapse and Manage Their Symptoms
A team of research scientists, led by Dr. David Miklowitz, analyzed 39 clinical trials involving 3,863 people with bipolar disorder and concluded that patients fare better and have less relapses when pharmacological treatments are supplemented with psychotherapy. Read More
Helping Children and Teens Through Mental Health Challenges
Top Canadian child and adolescent psychiatrists, Pier Bryden and Peter Szatmari, break down the stigma of mental health illness and walk parents through the warning signs, risk factors, prevention strategies and the process of diagnosis and treatment for mental health challenges arising from anxiety, depression, psychosis, suicidal thoughts and behaviours, substance use disorders and many other mental health challenges.
Purchase here
Digital Mental Health Tools: Resources to Support Mental Health Clinical Practice
This policy brief by the Mental Health Commission of Canada explores the potential impact of COVID-19 on mental health and suicide rates, provides insight into which potential risk and protective factors to monitor, and highlights the existing opportunities to influence these trends. Read More
Mental Health and Addiction Provider Training Modules
The Change Foundation has released a second series of Caregivers as Partners provider training modules specifically for mental health and addiction. Providers will gain a better understanding of the unique issues faced by caregivers who have a loved one with a mental illness and/or addiction and discover resources and tips to help improve their interactions with those caregivers. The three-part series focuses on 1) Nature of the illness & the impact on the family, 2) Burden of care 3) Hope & recovery. Scroll down to Caregivers as Partners – Mental Health and Addiction. Set up an account and login.
Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Two New Quality Standards
The most common mental health disorders are anxiety disorders (including obsessive–compulsive disorder).
Download this standard to learn what quality care looks like.
Read the recommendations for system adoption.
Share this guide with patients to help them ask informed questions about their care.
Click here to review
Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health
Helping Ontario’s colleges and universities enhance their capacity to support student mental health and well-being.
Visit the website here
Health Quality Ontario
Transitions Between Hospital and Home
The quality standard addresses care for people of all ages transitioning (moving) between hospital and home after a hospital admission. The transition from hospital to home is commonly referred to as a “hospital discharge.” This quality standard focuses on people who have been admitted as inpatients to any type of hospital, including complex continuing care facilities and rehabilitation hospitals.
Access the resources here
Health Quality Ontario
Quality Standards for Mental Health and Addictions
Welcome to the Health Quality Ontario library of quality standards. Search below to find all of our quality standards at various stages of development.
Try the Tool
Mental Health Commission of Canada
Supported Employment Programs of Canada
In The Aspiring Workforce: Employment and Income for People with Serious Mental Illness, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) showed that recovery in mental health means living a satisfying, hopeful, and contributing life, even while experiencing ongoing symptoms. Based on this concept, the report called for the development of extensive employment support options in keeping with the recovery journey of the individual.
The Interactive Supported Employment Map is the result of an MHCC environmental scan that identified over 518 programs offering employment services for persons living with mental illness.
Click here to read further data and insights.
Epion’s Metabolic Monitoring Tools
The EPION Metabolic Monitoring Working Group developed three videos to highlight the suite of tools developed for metabolic monitoring. These resources are designed for community and hospital-based psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, family physicians, and front-line mental health specialists working with individuals and families dealing with psychosis.
View the Monitoring Tools
Living with Schizophrenia
If you or a loved one is at least 18 years of age you can use this list of recommendations to help you and your health care professionals develop a care plan that works for you. You should use this information to become aware of what high- quality care looks like and to ask informed questions about your care. Care plans can be very different for each person, so it is important to work closely with your health care professionals.
Patients Reference Guide Schizophrenia Care for Adults in Hospital
Toolkit for e-Mental Health Implementation
The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) is pleased to launch the Toolkit for e-Mental Health Implementation, a joint effort of the Centre for Research in Family Health, IWK Health Centre and the MHCC, in consultation with stakeholders. It is a resource for mental health professionals to implement e-mental health innovations, such as telehealth, mental health apps, messaging-based services, and any internet-based mental health technology in clinical practice.
Click here for additional information
ISAC Report
The ISAC Report explains why many people with mental health conditions do not seek treatment and, if they do, are mainly managed by primary care health care providers (such as family doctors) who are trained to treat a broad range of mental health conditions.
The report notes, for example, that the absence of a specialist referral does not reflect the severity of a patient’s mental health condition. It also discusses why treatment history can be an unreliable predictor of the severity of a person’s disability.
Click here to view the ISAC Report
CAMH: Online Guides & Publications Library
Finding resources on an array of mental health topics just got easier with CAMH’s new online Guides & Publications library.
Here are three tips to help you get started on finding the resources you need:
- Looking for resources related to children and youth? Seniors? Filter your results by focus.
- Interested in learning more about mood and personality disorders? You can narrow your results by subject.
- Looking for a digital tool or app? Filter your results by document type.
A Guide to Depression Treatment for Patients and Family Members
MDAO recruited and led a group of patients and family members to develop the guide, supported by content experts in KT, patient advocacy, patient-oriented research, and psychiatry. The “Patient and Family Guide to Depression Treatment” was released on the MDAO website free of charge in March 2018 and is being actively disseminated, with evaluation of its impact underway.
CAMH: Supporting a Family Member with Schizophrenia
Practical Strategies for Daily Living
L Sean Kidd, Dawn I. Velligan, Natalie J. Maples
Click Here to learn more
It’s Not about Us
The Secret to Transforming the Mental Health and Addiction System in Canada
If you or a loved one have been affected by addiction and mental health issues, and have tried to or wanted to advocate for change in the system, this book will help you know how to do that.
For more information Click Here
