.@breakout_mh launches with plenty of community support @myles_mattila12 #mentalhealth https://t.co/sUS9A1UipI pic.twitter.com/IPLByS1CMn

— People First Radio (@peoplefirstrad) January 17, 2016

Colleges and universities now see nurturing learners’ mental health as a critical part of their job

Seneca College offers noise-blocking headphones — like the ones construction workers wear — to students with test anxiety while they write. It bought 15 pairs and needs more. “Anxiety Drop-ins” are a hit at the Ontario College of Art and Design University to help ease mid-term stress.  Read the rest of this article at the Toronto Star…

On Feb. 1, thanks to Alex Abramovich’s research and leadership, Canada’s first transitional housing for LGBTQ youth is opening its doors at the YMCA’s Sprott House in Toronto

The postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), who first came out as a lesbian in 2001 and is now a transgender man, has been studying the needs of LGBTQ homeless youth for a decade and leading the charge for safe, exclusive space for this vulnerable population.  Read the rest of this article at the Toronto Star…

University won’t require diagnosis before accommodating disabilities, after two-year fight involving the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Student says her peers ‘across Canada’ should not have to disclose their diagnoses.

Navi Dhanota knew she needed some help to score top grades in university but this time, she wasn’t prepared to return to a psychiatrist’s chair to get it. She didn’t think any student should have to disclose their private mental-health diagnosis for the privilege of academic accommodations like getting extra time to hand in an assignment or test. Read the rest of this article at the Toronto Star…

CBC airs in-depth documentary about the search for effective treatments

After such a devastating trip to rock bottom, the thought of drinking again was beyond my comprehension. Mike Pond, “five and-a-half-years sober,” became an innate part of my identity, my self-worth. At speaking events “five and-a-half-years sober” brought resounding applause. Well, hold your applause, because I drank again.
Read the rest of this article at the Vancouver Sun…