Golden Labrador named Carol helps #Nanaimo teen manage illness @lionsclubs @npescod https://t.co/OVFXKErcZB pic.twitter.com/C7vl2dUI6l

— People First Radio (@peoplefirstrad) May 20, 2016

19-year-old says he was asked by a residence manager to sign agreement stipulating he not talk to other residence students about personal issues, “namely the student’s self-destructive thoughts”

HALIFAX — A Nova Scotia student who faced eviction from his university residence if he talked to his peers about his mental-health issues says he’s glad Mount Saint Vincent University is overhauling its so-called wellness agreements after he went public with his story.  Read the rest of this article at CTVNews…

“Different approaches and philosophies of care are necessary because patient needs vary across the province. There should be fair and equitable access for everyone.”

VICTORIA – Auditor General of British Columbia Carol Bellringer issued her latest audit on May 17, 2016: Access to Adult Tertiary Mental Health and Substance Use Services. Bellringer’s team looked at how B.C.’s health system manages access to the highest level of mental health and substance use services. They found pockets of good practice, but more is needed to ensure that highly vulnerable patients – for example, someone suffering from an acute mental illness with a long history of hospitalization and substance use issues – can access the services they need.

(more…)

People who have mental illness challenge society’s typical narrative about what is “natural” or healthy, poet Shira Erlichman says

At the bottom of the sea, just off the coast of Maryland, New York City subway cars have become a new habitat for coral and fish. Poet Shira Erlichman was spellbound when she read about the project: to dispose of old, broken-down subway cars by sinking them to the bottom of the ocean, providing a new surface for coral reef to grow.

Photos documenting the process seem to show pollution on a large scale, the result of industrial excess. But eventually they will help the ecosystem survive. For Erlichman, the project was a way to discuss taking Lithium for mental illness.

Read the rest of this article at PBS NewsHour…

Safe, secure and affordable housing is crucial to maintaining and improving health and well-being

When you’re feeling unwell, whether from a minor cold or a devastating terminal illness, the feeling of home, the desire for a safe and comfortable place to rest and recuperate, is a universal one. But what if your home itself is a source of stress and illness? Worse yet, what if you don’t have a home at all? As family doctors, we see and know just how powerful the effect of proper housing can be on the health of our patients.  Read the rest of this article at The Toronto Star…