By Kevin Mitchell From the outside looking in, Glenn Mitchell had it all. A wife and two grown sons, a house overlooking Okanagan Lake, and scores of family members and friends who adored him, including me… his older brother. So then, why did he drive to a local park, walk around for several hours, and […]
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ELDER ABUSE: The Crushing Costs of Financial Exploitation
By Melissa Mortimer *All names have been changed When Mark’s widowed father, Tony, was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he wanted to do all he could to help. With 80-year-old Tony in Toronto, and him in Calgary, Mark relied on his sister to be the point of contact. Until then, Tony had been spending winters in […]
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MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH: The Men’s Shed Way
By Kevin Mitchell Upon entry, you find a slick-looking lounge and a big-screen TV, followed by the gateway to a 3,200-square-foot workshop containing an array of wood and metal working “drool tools.” And that’s just the hands-on part of Men’s Shed Vernon’s passion for building meaning and well-being into men’s lives by engaging hands, hearts, […]
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DEPRESSION & SUICIDE: One Senior’s Journey From Hell to Healing
Stock Photo By Kevin Mitchell *Check out discussion questions after article My first and only attempt at suicide didn’t go well. I swallowed a handful of sleeping pills and took two or three gulps of whisky before lying on my bed waiting to join the abyss. Nothing happened. I was a failure. Shortly after, my […]
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SENIORS’ DEPRESSION: A Retired Teacher Shares Invaluable Lessons Learned
Stock Photo By Cara Brady *Check out discussion questions after article Recognizing the Signs Life was good for Paula (not her real name) the year she turned 50. She was happily married, proud of her son, and loved her work as a teacher. She enjoyed spending time with family members and her many friends. She […]
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THE CHOKING GAME: A Growing Threat to Teen Mental Health & Survival
Stock Photo Have you ever done something you regret? Or experienced a time where you had your own life in your hands, and took a gamble? If you have, then you can undoubtedly relate to this… a story of courage and vulnerability from my friend Justin about his encounter with the choking game. “Pressure got […]
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GRATITUDE VS TOXIC POSITIVITY: Understanding Their Impacts on Your Mental Health
It’s healthy to be grateful, but how much is too much? As a psychology student I wanted to know, so I started digging… In the late 1960s, psychologist and educator Martin Seligman’s discovery of learned helplessness kick-started a field that would later be coined by Seligman as positive psychology. Many mental health professionals have embraced […]
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A Parents’ Guide to Social Media & Youth Mental Health
Without a doubt, social media is a culturally ingrained digital platform among the younger generation. A powerful means to connect and share with others, social media is a part of everyday life even for young children. In fact, a PubMed Central study on social media use reveals that Canadians as young as six years old […]
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SENIORS’ MENTAL HEALTH: Part 2 – Social Influences, Life Circumstances, Personal Choices & Better Care
SUMMARY Senior’s mental health is affected by social threats such as stigma, ageism, and racism, and impacted by individual circumstances such as isolation, loneliness, poverty, poor physical health, lack of independence, and abuse. In Part 2 of this podcast, Marjorie Horne (seniors’ advocate and founder of CareSmart Seniors Consulting), Naomi Mison (caregiver and founder of […]
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SCHIZOPHRENIA: Part 2 – Integrating Bio-Psycho-Social-Vocational-Spiritual Recovery Approaches
SUMMARY In Part 2 of this podcast on Schizophrenia, we’re joined again by Katrina Tinman (peer support worker with lived experience of schizophrenia), Chris Summerville (CEO of the Canadian Schizophrenia Society), and Dr. Phil Tibbo (clinical/research psychiatrist who specializes in psychosis-related illnesses). They dig deep into emerging holistic recovery approaches that integrate biological, psychological, social, […]
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RESILIENCE: Choosing How to Feel, Think & Behave
Video Version Audio Version SUMMARY Resilience is one of the most misunderstood concepts in mental health today. Simply, it is the outcome of optimizing life experience by being mindful about what you can control, can’t control, and have little control over. Join industrial psychologist and human capital specialist Peter Comrie as he explains the differences […]
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SCHIZOPHRENIA: Part 1 – Stories, Signs, Myths & Recovery Movements
SUMMARY Schizophrenia affects about 80 million people from all countries, cultures, ages, abilities, and genders. This two-part podcast explores their widespread challenges, and the hope and healing opportunities available to them and their families via integrated bio-psycho-social-spiritual-vocational therapies. In Part 1, Katrina Tinman (peer support worker with lived experience), Chris Summerville (CEO of the Canadian […]
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SENIORS’ MENTAL HEALTH: Part 1 – Personal Stories, Professional Insights & COVID Reflections
SUMMARY The over-65 age group is the fastest-growing demographic in Canada, with rates of mental illness for seniors over 70 projected to be the highest of any age group by 2041. Add to that the impacts of COVID-19, and you have a complex and costly national challenge that requires urgent attention from all sectors, in […]
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WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH: Part 2 – Groundbreaking Union & Business Solutions
SUMMARY While Part 1 of this podcast targets trailblazing research and regulatory approaches to workplace mental health, Part 2 chronicles the evolution of organizational policies, practices, and programs at two very different and unique organizations. Join Quentin Steen (CLAC Labour Relations Representative) and Trever Amendt (AECOM Site Safety Lead, Energy Operations & Maintenance in Lacombe, […]
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WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH: Part 1 – Trailblazing Research & Regulatory Approaches
SUMMARY Given that most Canadian workers clock between 35 and 40 hours weekly, it’s vital that time be invested in healthy workplaces that care as much about mental, emotional, and social well-being as they do about physical health. In Part 1 of this podcast, join workplace mental health expert Dr. Merv Gilbert, along with WorkSafeBC’s […]
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BRAIN TOUR: A Superhero’s Mental Health from Both Sides of the Cape
SUMMARY If you’re wearing a mask to hide mental health challenges, why not swap it for a superhero cape and brainpowers so strong they’re sure to save the day! Sharon Blady, PhD (comic book geek, former Manitoba Minister of Health, founder of Speak Up: Mental Health Advocates) and Dr. Simon Trepel (a psychiatrist and member […]
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STIGMA: From Stereotyping & Discrimination to Compassion & Inclusion
SUMMARY More than half of the seven million Canadians who face mental health challenges every year, won’t seek help for fear of being stereotyped and discriminated against. To help unravel the complexities of stigma that often bind people with mental illness, we’re joined by Samaria Nancy Cardinal, a Metis woman whose battle with intergenerational trauma […]
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ROLE CALL: Local Governments’ Contribution to Community Mental Health
SUMMARY Citizens expect and deserve mentally healthy communities. To that end, we connected with Ken Christian (City of Kamloops’ mayor and former environmental health professional) and Randy Sunderman (social economist and chair of the Aberdeen Neighbourhood Association) to explore local governments’ unique role in planning and building mentally healthy communities. They gauge Kamloops’ success in […]
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DEPRESSION: Key Links Between Lived Experience & Emerging Science
SUMMARY While Daniel Honke and Dr. Andy Greenshaw are both passionate about mental health, they come at it from vastly different but complementary perspectives. Daniel is an engaging young man who uses lived experience to help others in his community. Andy is a renowned research psychiatrist who collaborates with colleagues around the world, to create […]
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VETERANS’ MENTAL HEALTH: Personal & Scientific Perspectives on Healing
SUMMARY Veteran/advocate Brian McKenna and psychologist Dr. Candice Monson explore veterans’ mental health issues. Drawing on lived experience with PTSD – and the treatments and activism that helped him heal – Brian shares about the psychological challenges and opportunities faced by veterans who’ve served both at home and abroad. Dr. Monson, a clinician and researcher […]
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