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Canadians are among the world’s healthiest populations, but not all Canadians are equally healthy. Gaps (or differences) in health are particularly observable in urban Canada, where links between health and socio-economic status (SES) can be analyzed at small geographical levels. This report addresses multiple material and social dimensions of SES by using an index that incorporates education, income, employment, single-parent families, persons living alone and the proportion of persons separated, divorced or widowed.

The purpose of this analysis by the Canadian Institute for Health Information is to look at trends in the use of antipsychotics in seniors (defined in this analysis as people 65 or older) between 2001–2002 and 2006–2007, using drug claims data from public drug programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. This analysis will look at trends in use by age and sex, and compare the use of typical and atypical agents. Additional analyses will focus on atypical antipsychotics, including use and average daily dose by chemical, use in community and long-term care settings, as well as use among seniors with and without claims for anti-dementia drugs.

When Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty asked us to undertake this review in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of a high school student at school, he had the wisdom not to simply ask for short-term ideas about how to deploy yet more law enforcement resources to try to suppress this kind of violence. Instead, he asked us to spend a year seeking to find out where it is coming from — its roots — and what might be done to address them to make Ontario safer in the long term.

Mental health factors, such as one’s level of self-esteem or ability to handle stress, are linked to whether or not a young Canadian will display delinquent behaviour or become involved in criminal activity. According to a new study from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), youth aged 12 to 13 who reported hyperactivity and depression were more likely to report high levels of aggressive behaviour, as well as high levels of delinquent acts involving property. In contrast, new analyses show that youth aged 12 to 15 with high levels of self-esteem, good stress management and self-motivation are more likely to report never engaging in aggressive behaviour.

This paper by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health highlights critical issues in housing for people with mental illness and to suggest new approaches to reforming housing policy.

Welfare Incomes 2005 estimates total welfare incomes for four types of households in each province and territory, for a total of 52 scenarios. The four household types we use are a single employable person, a single person with a disability, a lone-parent with a 2-year-old child, and a two-parent family with two children aged 10 and 15. The National Council of Welfare has published similar estimates since 1986.

Canadian Guidelines focusing on the Assessment and Treatment of Mental Health Issues in Long-Term Care Homes were released in May 2006. This article provides a summary of the recommendations. The prevalence of mental disorders in Long-Term Care Homes is high and there is limited availability of psychiatric and other mental health services in most facilities. Much of the care is provided by primary care physicians, personal support workers and a small number of registered nurses. The goal of these Guidelines is to provide attending staff and consultants with a comprehensive approach to the care of residents with mental illness.

This document was published by the Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health. View the full report here.

This booklet explores the realities of Canadians’ perceptions towards mental health issues and the impact of 24/7 technology. It also reveals how the pursuit of money and the shift in interpersonal relationships affect the well-being of people’s daily lives. The subject matter also delves into mental health issues in the workplace, offers some tools for stress management, and presents ideas toward achieving a happy medium between work and personal life.

Over the past year, the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology has received more than two thousand submissions from all across Canada on the subject of mental health, mental illness and addiction. Hundreds of Canadians shared heartbreaking stories that revealed to the Committee the true state of Canada’s mental health, mental illness and addiction “system.” The members of the Committee have come to recognize the reality that profound change is essential if persons living with mental illness are to receive the help they need and to which they are entitled. We trust that readers of this report will reach the same conclusion.

If waiting for health service in general is difficult, waiting for psychiatric service is especially trying. For most of us, the worry of “losing your mind” is the greatest fear of all. Receiving a timely consultation and the knowledge that help is on the way are an enormous boon. It is equivalent to the relief experienced when treatment finally begins for any other serious health condition. For this reason, the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) has identified appropriate clinical benchmarks for what the waiting time for psychiatric care should be. If clinicians do not establish appropriate targets themselves, then no service can be evaluated against good clinical criteria.