mental health

Sheila Malcolmson, B.C.’s minister of mental health and addictions (Screen shot)

Minister of mental health tells Surrey audience COVID-19 ‘has made everything worse’

More than 23,000 people in B.C. are receiving medication to treat opioid addiction

 

Students enter the Pierre Laporte Secondary School as secondary school students return to class full time during the COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal, Monday, March 29, 2021. Pandemic-fuelled frustration has some teens expressing anger in unhealthy ways after a year of missed social connections that would typically help them mature and regulate their emotions, says a psychiatrist calling for more education on coping skills as part of the school curriculum. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Teens need coping skills to deal with anger during pandemic: doctor

While some kids adjusting to online learning, parents see a lack of extracurricular activities

 

The Telecare Crisis & Caring Line’s phone lines are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, but their goal is to have every call answered, and are working on plans to implement a text-messaging service. Photo courtesy of Telecare Crisis & Caring Line.

Abbotsford crisis hotline seeking new volunteers to keep up with surge in callers

Telecare Crisis & Caring Line has seen 24 per cent increase in callers amid pandemic

 

The BCPA launched a petition this March, calling the provincial government to include psychologists in the list of eligible providers through MSP billing for consultation and psychotherapy. (Black Press file)

B.C. psychologists petition government for more mental health coverage under MSP

B.C. Psychological Association says current covered programs fail to meet the demand of British Columbians

The BCPA launched a petition this March, calling the provincial government to include psychologists in the list of eligible providers through MSP billing for consultation and psychotherapy. (Black Press file)
Gambling

It’s your call: free gambling support

BC residents can connect with a local counsellor for help with problem gambling

  • Mar 29, 2021
Gambling
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44% of Canadians feel their careers would suffer if they revealed mental health issues: report

Half of managers said they drank more in February than they did in October, before the second wave

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Mayor John Vassilaki (File)

Penticton mayor backpedals comments about making people with mental illness ‘normal’

“I didn’t mean it to come out the way people take it” says John Vassilaki

Mayor John Vassilaki (File)
Alberta regional chief Marlene Poitras, left, interim Yukon regional chief Kluane Adamek, and National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde, along with co-chairs Harold Tarbell, Racelle Kooy, and Tim Catcheway, listen as Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett, centre, speaks during the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly in Gatineau, Que., on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Indigenous communities need more mental health support in wake of COVID-19: report

A number of First Nations reported increased drug and alcohol use and relapse

Alberta regional chief Marlene Poitras, left, interim Yukon regional chief Kluane Adamek, and National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde, along with co-chairs Harold Tarbell, Racelle Kooy, and Tim Catcheway, listen as Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett, centre, speaks during the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly in Gatineau, Que., on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
People wear face masks as they walk along a street in Montreal, Sunday, February 21, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Working women report poor mental health, with stress higher among working moms: poll

Overall, 44 per cent of women said they worry they will face lack of job prospects when the pandemic ends

People wear face masks as they walk along a street in Montreal, Sunday, February 21, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Youth facing mental health challenges contacted Kids Help Phone at a rate 102 per cent higher in 2020, than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Pixabay)

London Drugs answers Canada’s Kids Help Phone call with new ‘kind’ initiative

Struggling B.C. kids and youth contacted the helpline 102% more in 2020 than the previous year: data

Youth facing mental health challenges contacted Kids Help Phone at a rate 102 per cent higher in 2020, than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Pixabay)
Jasmine and Gwen Donaldson are part of the CAT team working to reduce stigma for marginalized groups in Campbell River. Photo by Marc Kitteringham, Campbell River Mirror

Jasmine’s story: Stigma can be the hardest hurdle for those overcoming addiction

Recovering B.C. woman says welcome, connection and community key for rebuilding after drug habit

Jasmine and Gwen Donaldson are part of the CAT team working to reduce stigma for marginalized groups in Campbell River. Photo by Marc Kitteringham, Campbell River Mirror
Doctors and counsellors warn of an increase in panic attacks, anxiety, depression and suicide ideas between ages 10 to 14, in Campbell River. ( Black Press file photo)

Extended pandemic feeding the anxieties of B.C.’s youth

Parents not sure what to do, urged to reach out for help

Doctors and counsellors warn of an increase in panic attacks, anxiety, depression and suicide ideas between ages 10 to 14, in Campbell River. ( Black Press file photo)
FILE – Five year-old Nancy Murphy wears a full mask and face shield as she waits in line for her kindergarten class to enter the school at Portage Trail Community School which is part of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, September 15, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

‘Their voice really matters’: Survey asks for input from B.C. youth on COVID’s effects

Researcher say they hope this work can affect policy changes

FILE – Five year-old Nancy Murphy wears a full mask and face shield as she waits in line for her kindergarten class to enter the school at Portage Trail Community School which is part of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, September 15, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Iliajah Pidskalny holds up two victorious thumbs-up, finally at the end of his 1,600-kilometre journey to raise funds and awareness for mental health and drug policy reform. He passed through Hope and the Fraser Valley on the final leg of his journey at the end of January. (Photo/Iliajah Pidskalny)

Saskatchewan cyclist biking for a cause finishes journey in Vancouver

Iliajah Pidskalny passed through Hope on his way to the coast, clocking 1,600 km along the way

Iliajah Pidskalny holds up two victorious thumbs-up, finally at the end of his 1,600-kilometre journey to raise funds and awareness for mental health and drug policy reform. He passed through Hope and the Fraser Valley on the final leg of his journey at the end of January. (Photo/Iliajah Pidskalny)
Rory Higgs poses in this undated handout photo. Rory Higgs was involuntarily detained in a psychiatric facility in B.C. multiple times, and says the only province where patients don’t have the right to refuse treatment should change its laws to protect vulnerable people and align with the rest of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Rory Higgs *MANDATORY CREDIT*

‘Jarring experience’ in B.C. psych wards because of ‘uniquely problematic’ law

B.C. is the only province where the Mental Health Act allows for so-called deemed consent to treatment

Rory Higgs poses in this undated handout photo. Rory Higgs was involuntarily detained in a psychiatric facility in B.C. multiple times, and says the only province where patients don’t have the right to refuse treatment should change its laws to protect vulnerable people and align with the rest of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Rory Higgs *MANDATORY CREDIT*
Micah Reimer of Communitas Supportive Care Society in Abbotsford holds his business card, the back of which uses a simple mental-health tool as a reminder for people in a moment of crisis. (Communitas photo: Krista Petrie)

Abbotsford mental-health worker encourages the practice of ‘just noticing’

Concept uses all five senses during a mental-health challenge

Micah Reimer of Communitas Supportive Care Society in Abbotsford holds his business card, the back of which uses a simple mental-health tool as a reminder for people in a moment of crisis. (Communitas photo: Krista Petrie)
(Pixabay.com)

Let’s Talk Day: Why family support should be the heart of mental health treatment in B.C.

‘Research has shown when families are involved in a patient’s care they typically have greater success’

(Pixabay.com)
Canada’s Haley Smith makes a jump during the women’s cross-country race at the Nerrang mountain bike trails during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, Thursday, April 12, 2018. When COVID-19 swept across the country last spring, forcing lockdowns and cancelling sporting events, Canadian mountain biker Haley Smith’s response was swift — train harder. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Rick Rycroft

Canadian mountain biker Haley Smith climbing back from ‘rock bottom’

Haley Smith was physically and mentally drained

Canada’s Haley Smith makes a jump during the women’s cross-country race at the Nerrang mountain bike trails during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, Thursday, April 12, 2018. When COVID-19 swept across the country last spring, forcing lockdowns and cancelling sporting events, Canadian mountain biker Haley Smith’s response was swift — train harder. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Rick Rycroft
UFV assistant kinesiology professor Dr. Iris Lesser exercises along Chilliwack's Vedder Rotary Trail with her daughter Kaia. (UFV photo)

UFV study finds women with reduced physical activity had more mental health struggles during COVID pandemic

The study suggested women suffered more than men as gyms, parks and playgrounds shut down

UFV assistant kinesiology professor Dr. Iris Lesser exercises along Chilliwack's Vedder Rotary Trail with her daughter Kaia. (UFV photo)
(Pixabay photo)

VIDEO: Tip to Metro Vancouver transit police helps woman 4,000 km away in Ohio

Sgt. Clint Hampton says transit police were alerted to a YouTube video of the woman in mental distress

(Pixabay photo)