This is Prevention Week, part of Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S. Too bad that the policies promoted by Prevention Week's creators, the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), make it more likely that people with the most severe psychotic disorders --...

Once a year I get to feel very hopeful about the future of care for people like my daughter who live with severe psychotic disorders. The University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine sponsors an annual neuroscience conference focusing on psychotic disorders to update psychiatrists and physicians about...

Advertisements and billboards around Canada are encouraging us to discuss mental health problems as part of Bell's "Let's Talk" campaign on Feb. 12. Featuring Olympic medalist Clara Hughes, who has bravely shared her battles with depression, the campaign is a part of a multi-million dollar initiative...

While we are bombarded by the brutal evidence of how much failure there is in mental health care, it is important to notice what works in responding to severe mental illnesses. For people living with schizophrenia, medications are usually effective in helping them emerge from psychosis. However, the illness can...

Canada depends on the services of families who care for relatives stricken with Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injuries and other serious disorders. Sometimes, we even notice and celebrate their contributions which help reduce the cost of healthcare services. Some of this recognition just came from Barack Obama, since, in the...

What's it like to be psychotic and unable to distinguish what's real from what's not real? How do people try to restore a family member to their sanity? Or cope with a severely ill person when there seems to be no way out?

A new anthology, HIdden Lives,...

Now that Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is over for another year, how many of you learned about the early warning signs of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder?

Or the Early Psychosis Intervention programs that offer the best help? Since over 3 per cent...

People with untreated psychotic disorders have a higher rate of violence than do the general population. The word "untreated" can't be overemphasized. People whose severe mental illnesses are treated do not commit more violent acts than do other people.

Acknowledging this reality is not politically correct...

The annual convention of the U.S.-based National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) just finished educating its 1700 participants on the latest research relevant for people living with severe mental illnesses. Both the opening and closing events focused on the important developments in cognitive remediation strategies for people with...

It is ironic that this week, the Mental Health Commission of Canada's (MHCC) international anti-stigma conference contains a session, offered by Canadians, with the most blatantly stigmatizing collection of ideas about families coping with mental illnesses that I have ever seen. The picture it weaves of these families...

Even though Schizophrenia Awareness Day is limited to May 24th, Canadians are exposed to education about schizophrenia all year long. Every time they read a gruesome news article about it, or have a difficult encounter with someone with an untreated psychosis, they receive confusing knowledge. It creates the kind of...

Barbara Howard's* daughter is in the psychiatric unit at Vancouver General Hospital again.

It doesn't make sense since her daughter's schizoaffective disorder responds well to anti-psychotic medication; the problem is that she has never had any insight into her illness.

After years of chaos following...

A major trend in the delivery of mental health services has been to turn over more responsibility to peer support workers. These workers, living with various mental health problems, can offer support and practical assistance to others who are struggling. I am very much hoping, in fact, that my daughter...

As the parent of someone with a severe schizoaffective disorder, I'm used to being viewed with suspicion. Sometimes the pathologizing gaze occurs in unexpected places. Following the publication of an article I wrote for B.C. Teacher about the importance of educating staff in schools about mental...