A special issue of the Medical Journal of Australia includes a focus on the social determinants of the health of Indigenous Australians. This issue features an editorial by Michael Marmot, the former Chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, as well as a number of research articles exploring related social, […]Continue readingSpecial journal issue on social determinants of Indigenous health (Australia)
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Antidepressants and adverse outcomes in older adults (UK)
Recent research published in the August 2011 issue of the British Medical Journal reveals that there are significant differences between different antidepressant drugs and their relationship to adverse events for older people. The population-based cohort investigation studied subjects who are 65 years or older with depression, and the types of antidepressants, the duration of use and dosages […]Continue readingAntidepressants and adverse outcomes in older adults (UK)
Government establishes Transcultural Mental Health Centre (Australia)
The Australian government recently announced $2.7 million in funding over three years for the Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre (QTMHC). In partnership with the University of Melbourne’s Centre for International Mental Health, the Victoria Transcultural Psychiatry Unit, and the University of South Australia’s Mental Health Nursing Group, Human Rights and Security Cluster, the QTMHC will […]Continue readingGovernment establishes Transcultural Mental Health Centre (Australia)
Mental health in the workplace: An evaluation of the “Skills for Line Managers” program (UK)
An evaluation of a UK education program for line managers facing employees’ mental health conditions in the workplace indicates that the program helped them provide earlier intervention and improved their awareness of best practice to better support employees. The evaluation also showed that managers felt better able to support someone experiencing a mental health condition […]Continue readingMental health in the workplace: An evaluation of the “Skills for Line Managers” program (UK)
Twenty-five percent of discharged patients with depression return to hospital within 30 days
A study conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) finds that 25 percent of Ontarians who were hospitalized for depression come back to the hospital emergency room, or are readmitted, within 30 days of discharge. The study team found that nearly one-third of patients did not receive follow-up care in the community […]Continue readingTwenty-five percent of discharged patients with depression return to hospital within 30 days
“Living Life to the Full” project final report published
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), BC Division recently released its final report on the pilot project “Living Life to the Full,” an evidence-based mental health promotion initiative designed to help people deal with everyday life challenges. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) concepts and techniques are at the core of the eight-session, 12-hour course that ran […]Continue reading“Living Life to the Full” project final report published
Stigma reduction course teaches medical students at University of Calgary
The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) is evaluating a special, required course for second-year medical students designed to help reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness, through contact-based education with people with lived experience, lectures and visits with practicing psychiatrists. The University of Calgary has partnered with MHCC to have the “Mind Course” evaluated as […]Continue readingStigma reduction course teaches medical students at University of Calgary
Network magazine focuses on community mental health progression
The most recent issue of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario’s Network magazine looks at the distinct role of the community mental health sector and some of the changes over the past number of years. Leading some of the changes are major research and evaluation initiatives which have provided an evidence-base for Ontario’s community mental health […]Continue readingNetwork magazine focuses on community mental health progression
OACP releases new provincial guideline for police record checks
The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) has developed a new provincial guideline for police records checks. When an individual with a mental health condition is detained and apprehended by police under the Mental Health Act, it generates an occurrence with the local police services and creates a non-criminal police record. This record is generated […]Continue readingOACP releases new provincial guideline for police record checks
ODSP Action Coalition calls for human rights framework in social assistance review
The ODSP Action Coalition has responded to the Social Assistance Review Commission. They want a revised social assistance system that provides dignity, adequacy (rates based on rational criteria), and inclusion of all recipients within a human rights framework. In order to reflect the goal of poverty reduction and accessibility, the ODSP Action Coalition has 31 […]Continue readingODSP Action Coalition calls for human rights framework in social assistance review