People First Media program archive
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Not a choice, not a phase, it’s a disease

February 9th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Not a choice, not a phase, it’s a disease)

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses, and there isn’t enough care, treatment, and support available to help

A province-wide advocacy group working on behalf of adults with eating disorders recently met with the British Columbia minster of health. The meeting coincided with the government’s review of services available at the community level in B.C.’s health authorities.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses, with 10 to 20 per cent of people affected dying from complications. The Advocacy for Adults with Eating Disorders group told B.C.’s health minister that there aren’t enough supports or treatment options for people struggling with eating disorders in the province. (more…)

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An award for mental health activism

December 8th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on An award for mental health activism)

Ruth Ruth Stackhouse, a Mad Pride pioneer, is recognized by the City of Toronto for her outstanding work

Ruth Ruth Stackhouse is a proud member of the psychiatric survivor community and a long-standing social and health activist. Her extensive community work includes organizing Mad Pride, establishing The Friendly Spike Theatre Band, working with anti-violence education, and academic research work on a project about the exploitation of mental hospital patient labour called Out From Under. (more…)

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Pandora’s Box or Xbox?

December 6th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Pandora’s Box or Xbox?)

The debate over violence, addiction and isolation in video gaming

In September 2011, a middle-aged British man burst into the home of a fellow online computer gamer, aged 13 years, and “throttled” him, according to news reports. The shocked teenager’s mother intervened and saved her gaming son.

The story doesn’t surprise Nanaimo resident and avid gamer Ronin Broad, who says that threats and arguments among competing online players are common. Whether online death threats are real or virtual might be the big question. The British incident occurred after the teenager “killed” the middle-aged man in the online game and then taunted him. The Daily Mail reported that the man who throttled the youth “had mental health issues.” (more…)

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Out of mind and into creativity

November 10th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Out of mind and into creativity)

Art and mental health symposium tackles the deep-seated social ignorance and stigma accompanying mental illness

Out of Mind—Into Creativity is a symposium co-sponsored by Artbeat, a Winnipeg gallery focused on mental health and art, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The event will explore the relationship between individual creativity and artists’ mental health, shedding light on the links between social inclusion and the participatory arts. It also provides a forum for subverting the myths, stereotypes, and stigma that continue to surround discussions of mental illness. (more…)

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Radio-UP premieres in Montreal

November 4th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Clubhouse members are working toward realizing their full potential, and now that includes broadcasting to a wider world

Donald Berman UP (Urban Pardes) House is a clubhouse that helps adults living with a mental illness achieve greater self-determination, self-esteem and self-worth. The Clubhouse is based on the International Center for Clubhouse Development model, founded in New York in 1948. There are currently 350 accredited clubhouses world-wide and 20 in Canada (including the Phoenix Centre Clubhouse in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island). (more…)

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Too many patients are restrained

September 15th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Too many patients are restrained)

A recent study confirms that one in four psychiatric patients in Ontario was restrained or isolated while in treatment

The use of control interventions, including physical and mechanical restraints, acute control medications and seclusion, is understood to be a method of last resort in care facilities and hospitals. However, according to a new analysis [opens to PDF] from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), nearly one in four (24%) individuals admitted to a designated mental health bed in Ontario experienced at least one type of control intervention during their hospitalization.

Patients admitted to a general hospital, as opposed to a psychiatric hospital, were actually more likely to experience the use of restraint(s). (more…)

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