Public Education Sessions

Mental Health and the Economy Symposium 2009

In recognition of Mental Health Week 2009 (May 4th - 10th, 2009), CMHA-NL held a Symposium on May 4th from 2 to 5 PM in the Health Sciences Centre Main Auditorium in St. John's, with many sites from all regions of the province participating via teleconference. The Symposium was hosted by Geoff Chaulk, Executive Director of CMHA-NL, and Colleen Simms, Regional Director of Mental Health and Addictions, Eastern Health.

The theme for this year's Mental Health Week was mental health and the economy, and the main message was "Now more than ever...invest in yourself!" There were four presentations which focused on our province's economy and how it affects us, and how Newfoundlanders and Labradorians should continue to invest in their mental health during these stressful economic times. The presenters were as follows:

• Geoff Chaulk, Executive Director, CMHA-NL, showed the results from a nation-wide survey, Health is Cool 2009 (conducted by CMHA National and Desjardins Financial Security), on the effects of the economy on people's mental health. Click the image below to see the slides from the presentation.

• Dr. Wade Locke, Professor of Economics, Memorial University, talked about how our economy is really doing and helped us sort through the confusing messages that are often presented in the media. Click here to read "Don't Worry, Be Happy Or Should We: An Assessment of the Current Economic Crisis from the Perspective of Newfoundland and Labrador." 

• Al Antle, Executive Director of Credit & Debt Solutions, talked about making investing in relationships a priority in tough economic times, as relationships are usually the first thing to suffer as people cut back on their spending. (A link to the text of Mr. Antle's presentation will be posted here when it is available – please check back.)

• Dr. Joyce Nicholls-Goudsmid, a clinical psychologist at Terrace Clinic, Eastern Health, talked about living in the present moment and practicing mindfulness daily to deal with stress before it gets out of hand. Click here to read "Keeping an Open Mind: Coping in Difficult Times."

Special thanks to the co-hosts and presenters who shared their expert insights, gave us hope for the future and provided valuable tips for improving our mental health.

Adults and Depression Symposium - October 7, 2008

In recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week 2008 (October 5 - 11, 2008), CMHA-NL, in partnership with CHANNAL, Department of Health and Community Services, Discipline of Psychiatry Faculty of Medicine, Eastern Health, and Schizophrenia Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, held a symposium on Tuesday, October 7 on Adults and Depression. For more details and a list of presenters, see the flyer.

Mental Health Symposium - October 1, 2007

In recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week 2007, CMHA-NL, Eastern Health and the Discipline of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University held a symposium on October 1, 2007 featuring the following discussions:

1:00 to 2:00 p.m. - Eating Disorders In Newfoundland and Labrador

Presenters: Olga Heath, Psychologist, Eastern Health
                      Kelly Maloney, Dietician, Eastern Health
                      Nancy White, Social Worker, Eastern Health

Moderator:  Geoff Chaulk, Executive Director, CMHA-NL Division

2:00 to 3:00 p.m. - Workplace Mental Health Program, CMHA-NL Division

Presenter:   Roger Baggs, Workplace Mental Health Coordinator, CMHA-NL   

Moderator:  Sharon Barnes, Mental Health Consultant, Department of Health and Community Services

3:00 to 4:00 p.m. - Collaborative Care and Outreach: The Early Psychosis Model, Discipline of Psychiatry, Memorial University

Presenters:  Kellie LeDrew, Psychiatrist
                      Ted Callanan, Psychiatrist

Moderator:   Colleen Simms, Regional Director, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Eastern Health

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Aging and Mental Health

Seniors and Depression

Click on the image above to watch CMHA-NL's educational video about seniors and depression in long term care. (Length: 18 minutes).

For more information, visit Aging and Mental Health.

Resources for Seniors and their Families: The Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health (CCSMH) has a great series of user-friendly educational guides for seniors and their families. All of the booklets are in PDF format and are free of charge to download. Click here to visit the CCSMH website and read the booklets.

Reports

• The Mental Health Needs of an Aging Population

• Seniors Mental Health: A Health Care Workers Perspective

• Professional development needs of long term care staff: Summary Report
  

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Work and Mental Health

• Stress in the Workplace: A General Overview of the Causes, the Effects, and the Solutions
  

For some quick tips for good mental health in the workplace, see The ABCs of Workplace Mental Health

Visit our Workplace Mental Health page for a list of great online resources.

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Mental Health Promotion

• Mental Health Promotion: A literature review

For more information on mental health promotion, visit Strengthening Mental Health Promotion

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• Recovery and Wellness: Our Keys to the Future - by CHANNAL
  

For more information on suicide, please visit CMHA National's web page on suicide. They also offer links to information on the following topics, which you can click below:

• Preventing Suicide
• Grief After Suicide
• Youth and Suicide
  

More websites:

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention
• Centre for Suicide Prevention
  

Sleep and Mental Health

We all know that sleep affects our health and our mood, and that often sleep is disrupted when a person has a mental illness. Now a new study suggests that there is an even stronger link between sleep deprivation and mental health than previously thought.

To learn more, check out the following news articles:

Lack of sleep hinders coping skills, logical reasoning: study (October 22, 2007 - CBC News)

Emotions Run Amok in Sleep-Deprived Brains (October 22, 2007 - LiveScience)