Catalyst Newsletters Archive - Page 20 of 23 - Mental Health Commission of Canada

New MHCC resource aims to support women sidelined from the workforce

Even before the onset of COVID-19, statistics told a story of a persistent unequal division of labour, with women shouldering more unpaid housework and caregiving responsibilities than men.

As quarantine measures began, the toll on women only deepened — both at home and at work. One recent study found that mothers were more than twice as likely as fathers to be worried that their work performance was being judged negatively because of caregiving responsibilities.

“The statistics are stark — yet not surprising if we look at the context,” said Louise Bradley, the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC’s) president and CEO. “Not only am I concerned about losing — literally overnight — the hard-won progress toward equality that was gained over decades, I am also worried about the mental wellness of women who are being asked to make an impossible choice.”

According to a recent national survey, one-third of working women have thought about quitting their jobs because they are juggling home-schooling, homemaking, parenting, and professional responsibilities.

For those who do leave their jobs, re-entering the workforce can lead to a fruitless game of catch-up.

A new resource
When it’s time to go back into the working world, women are confronted with emotional and practical challenges that their male counterparts rarely have to consider. To assist employers who wish to support women employees in making a strong return to the workforce — while keeping mental health front and centre — the MHCC has created a new resource.

The recommendations emphasize the importance of things like flexibility, workload management, and empathy, regardless of the reason for needing time off.

“Few workplace resources account for the unique challenges faced by women, and that’s a problem,” said Tiana Field-Ridley, an MHCC implementation specialist on the Workplace

“My mother is contemplating a return to work after spending her prime earning years supporting her elderly parents. It just illustrates that women may need support making the transition in and out of the workforce more than once in their lives. Our minds may turn to gaps associated with maternity leave, but we’ve got to broaden our thinking to span a woman’s entire professional life.”

In addition to supporting women’s mental wellness through the transition back to work, the new resource encourages employers to be aware of implicit biases that may be limiting their hiring pool and work to strengthen policies so they uplift women.

“We’ve got to re-educate employers about gaps on resumes, for example,” said Liz Horvath, manager of the Workplace Mental Health team. “A gap shouldn’t automatically be interpreted as an alarm bell. It might have also been an opportunity for that person to explore and gain new skills while tending to someone else’s needs. Caring for a sick relative can lead to incredible growth in a person’s compassion or organizational skills.”

As Horvath points out, being able to reframe a woman’s expertise following an absence has great value, especially when you consider that 62 per cent of the jobs lost between February and March of 2020 were held by women.

“Many of the jobs in schools, child-care centres, hotels, restaurants, and shops were gendered roles. But that in no way diminishes the skills required to pull them off,” she said.

Start with transparency
For employers, welcoming women back to work can also include postings for new jobs.

“Attracting great female candidates can be greatly enhanced by transparency in job postings, which could include anything from being vocal about diversity to enthusiastically promoting flexibility,” said Horvath. “That could also translate into offering on-the-job training, in recognition of the fact that women will often take themselves out of a race before it has even begun.”

“I’ve seen this throughout my entire career,” added Bradley. “That adage about a woman seeing a job posting and choosing not to apply because she only has 80 per cent of the qualifications, whereas a man may throw his hat in the ring even if he’s got significantly less, is trite because it’s true. So, as organizations we’ve got a responsibility to be as inclusive as possible lest we alienate great contributors.”

Above all, said Field-Ridley, the best way any of us can support a woman who is returning to the workforce is to build her up. “It takes a lot of confidence to return to work after an absence,” she said. “With the right approach, employers can create a supportive environment for women to flourish and meet their full potential.”

Author: Amber St. Louis

Amber St. Louis

New community-based research explores cannabis consumption during pregnancy and parenthood

Late last year, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) announced its funding of 14 community-based research projects to explore cannabis use in priority populations. All the initiatives address important and often overlooked groups in research, including youth, immigrant, refugee, ethnocultural, racialized, and Indigenous populations. One such group is pregnant individuals and parents, the focus of a unique research project based in Ontario.

A fresh perspective
“To date, research about cannabis consumption during pregnancy and parenthood has been clinical in nature, emphasizing cannabis as a ‘risk’ and its association with ‘substance abuse,’” said lead researcher Allyson Ion. “Our team is taking a different approach by focusing on the experiential knowledge of pregnant individuals and parents. As people who consume cannabis, they are at the heart of the issue.”

In addition to people with living experience, the research includes providers in perinatal care and child welfare, along with other health- and social-care leaders who can share first-hand insights into the kinds of tools that may be needed to strengthen direct care practices and policies.

For Krista Benes, director of the MHCC’s Mental Health and Substance Use team, this inclusive approach is at the core of what sets community-based research apart. “The lens of first-hand experience is invaluable,” she said. “If we really want to understand the relationship between cannabis consumption and pregnancy and parenting, who better to involve than the individuals who live those realities every day?”

Expanding the conversation
Despite cannabis being the most commonly consumed substance during pregnancy, the stigma surrounding its consumption is pervasive. That stigma, the researchers fear, may hamper opportunities for honest and helpful conversations in health- and social-care spaces and create barriers for individuals seeking out information and support.

“Many pregnant people and parents continue to experience surveillance around their cannabis consumption because of broader notions about what it means to be a ‘good’ parent,” said team member Saara Greene. Yet current research on the effects of cannabis consumption during the perinatal period is ambiguous, and health-care guidelines and practices are largely based on laboratory research using animal models and controlled clinical studies.

While the research team acknowledges that cannabis may not always be “harm-free,” they say more research is needed to determine the relationship between cannabis consumption and perinatal and parenting outcomes — as told by the parents themselves.

“There is a significant lack of research looking into the intentions and desired effects of cannabis consumption during the perinatal period and while parenting,” said team member Kelly Pridding. “We believe that more holistic, participatory, and community-based research approaches will go a long way toward dispelling myths and misconceptions and expand this important conversation.”

A knowledge-to-action framework
The initial phase of the research involves a series of dialogue-based sessions exploring different experiences and perspectives among the stakeholders on the intersections of cannabis, pregnancy, parenting, and mental health. Using a knowledge-to-action framework, researchers will then turn the feedback from those conversations into practical tools and recommendations.

“The most exciting thing about this work is the potential to create real-world practice and policy applications,” said Ion. “Our goal is to develop concrete tools, practice approaches, and/or policies that can be applied in perinatal care and child welfare practice settings, ultimately strengthening the quality of care and reducing cannabis stigmatization in the process.”

As Benes sees it, this project represents an important new chapter in cannabis research. “We still have a long way to go in closing the knowledge gap between mental health and cannabis consumption in priority populations,” she said. “But every time we include those populations in the work that is ultimately meant to serve them, we make that gap a little bit smaller.”

With special thanks to research team members Allyson Ion, Saara Greene, Theresa Kozak, Gabrielle Griffith, Kelly Pridding, Claudette Cardinal, and Gary Dumbrill (in collaboration with the McMaster Health Forum). Team members wanted to specifically express their gratitude for MHCC funding and also acknowledge the financial support received from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.

Author: Amber St. Louis

Amber St. Louis

Samaria Nancy Cardinal and the cost of neglecting recovery

Samaria Nancy Cardinal learned two important lessons at her father’s knee: the power of persistence and the importance of mustering courage in the face of oppression.

Those lessons have served her well on a long and winding journey to recovery from mental illness. When asked about how she became a patient advocate, she paused, burdened by the weight of her response.

“I lost 15 to 20 years of my life because of misdiagnosis and ineffective treatment,” she said from her home in Calgary, where she will graduate with a diploma in social work this spring. “I was labelled bipolar, and when that happens it may as well be tattooed right on your forehead. Within the system, you cease to be a person and are defined solely by your illness.”

For Cardinal, separating one’s humanity from one’s disease is anathema to her Indigenous heritage.

“We see people for all of what they are — their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual selves are inextricably linked. You can’t understand why someone is experiencing symptoms like mine if you simply tick boxes from a medical manual. You’ve got to be willing to dig a little deeper, to ask ‘why’?”

A failure to appreciate
But, as Cardinal pointed out, that digging takes time, and our health-care system is built to prioritize the speed of diagnosis, rather than the value of achieving recovery. She says it’s one of the many ways the very structure of care needs to change.

As the daughter of Douglas Cardinal, the first Indigenous architect in Canada, the metaphor she teased out is no surprise.

If a house is riddled with toxic mould, she said, you wouldn’t slap pretty yellow paint on the walls and call the problem sorted. To make that house safe and livable you need to rip out the rot and rebuild it from the studs.

In the same way, she argued, the health-care system’s twin crises of unconscious bias and discrimination need to be named and remedied — with no time to waste.

“My father couldn’t get his degree in Canada because of racism. It’s true that he didn’t let discrimination crush his dreams. He went on to study at the University of Texas in Austin and became one of this country’s most celebrated names in the field,” Cardinal said, pointing to achievements like the Canadian Museum of History. “But his talent only underscores the potential we’re wasting if we’re pushing people down rather than lifting them up.”

Finding the exit
She understands first-hand how people can spend years on a quest for mental health support, living a half-life in the shadow of an illness, unable to claim their rightful place as contributing members of society.

“I can never get back the time I lost,” said Cardinal, who became emotional as she reflected on all that was taken from her. “But what I can do is try to be part of rebuilding a system that puts recovery at its centre.”

Helping others has become her own North Star as she strives to advocate for a system where symptoms are not evaluated without examining their root causes. It was this motivation that led Cardinal to be part of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s efforts to dismantle the barriers to care created by structural stigma.

“For the record, my bipolar diagnosis wasn’t accurate,” said Cardinal. “I was pumped full of medication, with the dose ramped up time and again because it wasn’t working. Can you imagine treating someone for cancer, discovering their tumour is continuing to grow, and the medical team refusing to change protocols? There would be a hue and cry.”

But for years, there was no such outrage for Cardinal.

She walked a seemingly endless, dark, lonely tunnel without any sign of an exit. The light finally appeared when her symptoms were correctly diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder, and she was finally able to access the tools needed to tame her trauma.

Seeing and hearing others
Despite her own experience, or perhaps because of it, Samaria is determined to be the light for others.

“You can’t imagine how desperate you can feel when no one will listen, when no one will believe you, when you’re dismissed and disregarded time and time again.”

Cardinal now plans to pursue an advanced degree in social work, and her agenda is a simple one.

“When I see someone sit down across from me, I will see the person first. Period. I will give them what I was denied: recognition of their humanity. And in that small way, I will be working to rebuild something that’s broken.”

Author: Suzanne Westover

Suzanne Westover

An Ottawa writer and former speechwriter, and Manager of Communications at the Mental Health Commission of Canada. A homebody who always has her nose in a book, she bakes a mean lemon loaf (some would call her a one-dish wonder) and enjoys watching movies with her husband and 14-year-old daughter. Suzanne’s time with the MHCC cemented her interest in mental health, and she remains a life-long learner on the subject.

Ambitious 10-year strategic plan aims at transformational change in Canada’s mental health landscape

For Chuck Bruce, board chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), the need to invest in mental health isn’t a question — it’s an imperative.

“I’ve worked with tangible investments my whole career,” said Bruce from his home office in Newfoundland and Labrador, where he runs the province’s largest public sector pension fund. “I typically see a return in terms of dollars and cents — but you can’t put a price on mental wellness.”

That’s why Bruce, together with the MHCC’s board of directors, set out to draft a blueprint that could help renovate a mental health system with dangerous gaps and cracks still running through its foundation.

Building on past successes
“Answering the Call isn’t prescriptive,” he said, referring to the MHCC’s freshly released 10-year strategic plan. “It’s a bold, ambitious vision to uplift the voices of lived experience, enhance co-operation across our many partnerships, and dig into those areas that have been overlooked far too long. We cannot afford to stall the progress on mental health promotion, mental illness prevention, and supports and treatments just as we are hitting our stride as an organization.”

The new plan is supported by three pillars: Inquire, Inspire, and Improve. For Bruce, “they are the lifeblood of what we do at the MHCC: We open minds by seeking out the best research and disseminating it. We open hearts by combating stigma in all its forms — including structural barriers (that are as invisible as they are dangerous). And we open doors with improved access to services through cutting edge demonstration projects.”

The right frame for growth
“As a board, our job isn’t to tell the experts who make up the MHCC’s leadership and staff how to go about creating this change. For the same reason, I wouldn’t tell a builder where I wanted load-bearing walls or how to engineer my bathroom. Instead, I might say, I want an open concept home with lots of light.”

In the new plan, the MHCC’s board has left plenty of room for the creativity, responsiveness, and entrepreneurship that have been a hallmark of the organization’s first decade.

“When I first became acquainted with the MHCC, on their workplace advisory committee, my knowledge of the organization’s footprint was reasonably narrow,” said Bruce. “Many years later, I’ve come to realize that, while we’re a relatively small group, we’re spotting and plugging holes at every turn. From community-based suicide prevention to creating mentally healthier university and college campuses or delivering resiliency and anti-stigma training, we make use of every last funding dime to create the kind of society that reflects our shared ideals — recovery chief among them.”

The road ahead
When asked what success might look like for the 10-year plan, Bruce paused. “I don’t want to predict where this plan will lead us because I believe in the power of compound knowledge.”

The idea is built on the investment principle that dollars increase over time through the strength of compound growth. “It’s the most powerful tool we have to create wealth,” he said. “And reinvesting in the knowledge we gain is the most powerful means to create transformational change.”

For Bruce, that change is within our grasp — and always has been.

“When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer 25 years ago, my father didn’t want it discussed. It was family business, and it was private. Period.”

On reflection, Bruce suspects that shame played a role in his father’s perception of breast cancer. “And he wasn’t alone in that. But over the years, we’ve seen the Run for the Cure gain momentum and grow, we’ve seen the CN Tower light up pink, we’ve seen speciality appliances and lipsticks with a portion of proceeds going to breast cancer research. And the implicit message in all of this is that there is no shame. I’d say it has worked for many health issues, but we aren’t there yet when it comes to mental illness.”

Measuring progress
If the MHCC’s strategic plan is successful, Bruce said, there will be similar markers along the way.

“We’ve got to celebrate the victories. The e-mental health interventions that hurdle geographic barriers. The standards that are changing how we study and work. The Mental Health First Aid program that’s trained more than 500,000 people in Canada (and counting). Each of these is narrowing a gap or filling a crack. Building a solid foundation.”

And until that work is done, Bruce is convinced that by reinvesting our knowledge to open minds, hearts, and doors, there will be a marked net profit.

“I’m a numbers guy, after all,” he conceded. “We’ll be measuring our returns and reporting on progress to our key investors — and that’s every single person living in this country. Because mental health . . . matters to all of us.”

Author: Suzanne Westover

Suzanne Westover

COVID may steepen the climb for those affected by eating disorders

Content Warning: This article contains information about thoughts and behaviours related to eating disorders.

The first week of February marks Eating Disorders Awareness Week, a national public awareness campaign dedicated to shedding light on the reality of eating disorders (EDs) and the people they affect. Before COVID-19, EDs had one of the highest mortality rates of any mental illness. Now, with routines upended and isolation at its peak, the journey toward wellness is even more arduous for some.

“When you live with an eating disorder, free time is a dangerous thing,” said Wendy Preskow, president and founder the National Initiative for Eating Disorders (NIED). “In the absence of many pre-pandemic outlets and routines, the voices encouraging ED behaviours only become louder.”

Preskow isn’t just speaking from her nine years of experience running NIED. She is also a full-time caregiver to her daughter Amy, who has struggled with eating disorders for over 20 years.

“With so many of Amy’s prior activities and distractions taken away, I can feel the tension of her free time,” said Preskow. “I have to keep her company just to help her get through the day. When you’re in that state, every second counts.”

A perfect storm
For the one million or so people in Canada diagnosed with an ED — and the countless others suffering in silence — the empty space in the day is just one of the challenges during a pandemic.

Increased anxiety, uncertainty, and a perceived lack of control can all encourage ED behaviours (i.e., restricting, binging, purging, or overexercising) — which are often used as coping mechanisms in times of stress. Add to that the advent of “the quarantine 15” (the potential weight gain associated with the pandemic), and it’s not hard to understand why crisis lines and services for EDs and have had a marked influx since the arrival of COVID-19.

A strained system
Unfortunately, as Preskow pointed out, these services were already stretched to their limit prior to the pandemic. Now, the situation is dire. “Many outpatient programs have had to completely shut down, and others have seen their wait-lists double or triple,” she said. “So many people need support, but they can’t find it.”

In some cases, the search for help includes parents seeking treatment for young children, who are increasingly engaging in dieting behaviours that may heighten their risk of developing an ED.

As a recent Globe and Mail article noted, “Children as young as 9 and 10 are being treated for eating disorders. Pediatricians say many of their new patients are sicker and more underweight than those typically seen before the pandemic, while the wait time for outpatient referrals has doubled to six months.”

or Preskow, these trends are not acceptable. “When you’re seeking help for a loved one with an ED, waiting doesn’t feel like an option.”

The challenges of caregiving
In the early days of Amy’s illness, Preskow recalls how each filled-up program, unavailable service, or unanswered query felt like a devasting blow to her and her husband.

While NIED isn’t a service provider, she has still channelled that experience into her daily work. “When someone reaches out, I do my best to follow up right away,” she said. “I remember how it felt to be absolutely desperate for guidance. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

To this day, Preskow said, being a caregiver is a constant challenge. And after 20 years, she’s still overcome with fear when she sees Amy calling. “I’ve asked her to text me a heart before she calls so that I know everything is OK. Then I can answer without panicking.”

For other caregivers struggling to navigate their loved one’s illness, Preskow urges unconditional love above all else. “We have to remember that having an eating disorder isn’t a choice. It can be hard not to take setbacks personally, but that person needs love and encouragement, no matter what.”

The road to wellness
While COVID-19 has ushered in a new wave of challenges for those affected by EDs, support is still available. NIED’s list of resources includes options for immediate support, interactive tools, and a variety of other programs. The National Eating Disorder Education Centre (NEDIC) also offers many helpful resources, including a helpline and a list of COVID-19-related information, events, and support.

As for Amy’s journey, after two long decades, she’s managed to find a new footing. “Right now she’s climbing the tallest mountain in the world,” said Preskow. “There’s still a long way to go, but it’s worth every step.”

Author: Amber St. Louis

Amber St. Louis

In conversation with Dr. Thomas Ungar, the first in a series

When Thomas Ungar, psychiatrist-in-chief at St. Michael’s Hospital and associate professor at the University of Toronto, was asked to describe the structural stigma that spells poorer health outcomes for people living with mental illness and substance use disorders, he responded in a most unusual way.

“Perhaps I should tell you about the silly garbage cans,” he said from his office in Toronto, where he engages in a daily campaign to help his peers and colleagues in other specialties better understand the complex nature of mental illness.

A hospital where he once worked brought in some “efficiency people” to tighten the budget. At one point, they determined that garbage receptacles in clinical spaces would be emptied daily while those in “administrative” or “non-clinical spaces” would only be done every two weeks.

“I don’t see patients in rooms with sinks,” Ungar explained. “And the litmus test for “clinical space” by the powers that be was, you guessed it, whether or not it had a sink.”

For Ungar, the implicit bias was clear. For “real” medicine, you need to wash your hands. Psychiatric work — the lowest paid specialization in medicine — didn’t make the cut.

Medical versus mental health care needs
Such an example may sound insignificant, but Ungar has dozens, if not hundreds like it. In fact, he collects these small indignities like unwanted mementos. They serve as a constant reminder that providing mental health care remains the poor cousin of practising in the purely physical realm.

Taken as a whole, they add up to an immeasurable inequity.

“There was the time when I went to a meeting to get some equipment I needed for my department,” he recalled. That included new locks, because some doors on his floor had been kicked in, and improved video monitor safety equipment. But these seemingly straightforward requests were quickly brushed aside. “I was told to talk to facility management or IT because, again, my needs weren’t ‘real’ medical needs.”

“And,” added Ungar, “we’re always being left behind. When a hospital moves to a brighter, newer space, the psychiatry department is invariably told we’ll be joining ‘soon.’ Then ‘soon’ becomes months, and in some cases years. We’re left behind in crumbling, run-down buildings because we’re told having a dedicated space for mental health care is better for the patient. Who are we kidding? It’s just more palatable for everyone else.”

The effects of mental health care inequity
Yet Ungar’s greatest frustration isn’t that his speciality is sidelined. It’s that people suffer as a result.

“When you present to the emergency room, regardless of your mental health history, you should be given an appropriate physical workup. Only in psychiatry would the treating physician refer someone to you directly, without doing such a rudimentary exam. Imagine an ER doctor taking one look at you and saying, ‘Right, I think it’s your heart, off to cardiology you go.’”

This cavalier, and all-too-prevalent, attitude can have dire consequences. Ungar himself is familiar with cases where patients have died of blatant neglect because of “diagnostic over-shadowing.”

“It’s when an assumption is made that physical complaints are not relevant or reliable because someone has an underlying mental illness or substance use disorder,” he explained, “and it’s not acceptable.”

Dealing with structural stigma
Ungar finds himself swimming against the tide in a profession where stigma is so entrenched, and unconscious bias so pervasive, that most of the well-meaning professionals practising within it are totally unaware of its existence.

“It’s not unlike racism,” he explained. “You don’t have to throw around epithets or be blatantly discriminatory to uphold implicitly racist societal norms. Being unaware of something doesn’t make you a bad person, but it doesn’t make you part of the solution either. The same is true for stigma. Just because you don’t use pejorative terms doesn’t mean you aren’t unconsciously dismissing a patient as ‘badly behaved’ or ‘morally corrupt’ because they are presenting in a way that’s uncomfortable or inappropriate.”

While the beauty of not knowing is that it can be fixed, a complete paradigm shift is a generational proposition, and Ungar doesn’t have that kind of time.

“It doesn’t mean I’m not trying,” he laughed, but he also thinks additional strategies are needed. “I’m leveraging quality of care as a central tenet of why we need to address structural stigma,” he said, noting that building certain patient safeguards into hospital policy may be the quickest route to fulfilling the Hippocratic Oath.

A new way forward
“For it to count, we need to measure it,” Ungar noted, “and not just in egregious situations that trigger a coroner’s inquest.” Here, he recounted an instance where a patient died of a pulmonary embolism because concerns about his mental health overshadowed the physical discomfort he was experiencing.

Ungar wants to change the rules of the game, full stop. He wants hospitals to assess structural stigma against qualifiers that effectively dismantle it. “For example, if we require all patients to receive a physical exam within one day of being admitted, suddenly it doesn’t matter whether Dr. Smith thinks it’s necessary. It’s simply required.”

This kind of intervention is what Ungar refers to as a health-care system “hack”: a quick and imperfect shortcut to improve results, while the longer-term work to shift attitudes and behaviours plods along in the background.

To help health-care administrations understand, evaluate, and score structural stigma against a framework that breaks down the barriers putting treating mental illness at a disadvantage, Ungar is working with a team at the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) to create tools and new standards.

Describing this project, he said, “If we can measure and monitor those barriers and get them on a mandatory dashboard or at-a-glance report card, then a red-light indicator will scream out for attention and require a fix. I won’t have to try and advocate, negotiate, or convince others one provider at a time. I’ve had it with that.”

In fact, Ungar sees this path as a decisive way forward. “The work I’m doing with the MHCC is the most exciting of my professional career. I’m not aware of this kind of work being done anywhere else. It’s the kind of progressive, thoughtful policy shift we’ll look back on in two decades and say, ‘I can’t believe we didn’t do that sooner.’ Our current practices will seem as outmoded to our future selves as bloodletting does to us now.”

Until then, Ungar plans to continue using his considerable influence to call out stigma wherever he finds it.

“Of course I will,” he said with a laugh, “even if that means telling stories about silly garbage cans.”

Webinar
Register here for the first webinar on the MHCC’s work to combat mental illness- and substance use- related structural stigma in health care settings — to be held Tuesday, February 9, 12-1:30 p.m. ET — featuring professors Thomas Ungar, Heather Stuart, Jamie Livingston, Javeed Sukhera, and Stephanie Knaak. Participants will increase their understanding of structural stigma, learn about its sources and consequences, and gain insights into how it can be addressed.

Watch this space
In the March Catalyst we’ll be speaking with patient advocate Samaria Nancy Cardinal about the harmful effects of structural stigma users are experiencing in the health-care system.

Author: Suzanne Westover

Suzanne Westover

MHCC winter mini-guide aims to give workplaces seasonal boost

In Canada, most people are all-too-familiar with the physical challenges of working through the winter. From dressing to driving, the importance of changing the way we operate to protect ourselves from the cold goes without question. It’s too bad we rarely give our mental wellness the same consideration.

This winter, because mental strain in the workplace may be especially pronounced, employers should be equipped to support themselves and their staff members.

A new workplace resource
The Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC’s) new Mini-Guide to Help Employees’ Mental Health Through Winter offers employers a roadmap to wellness during the chilly season.

“Many leaders recognize that this time of year can be hard on employees. But the tools and resources out there are piecemeal,” said Liz Horvath, manager of Workplace Mental Health at the MHCC. “To help employers spend less time searching for solutions and more time applying them, we’ve gathered a wide range of practical advice and helpful resources in one place.”

The mini-guide lays the groundwork for its recommendations by exploring some of the most common reasons for mood changes in the winter months. For some it’s the lack of sunlight, for others it’s poorer eating habits or reduced physical activity. Whichever factors are at play, it’s their cumulative effect that can make it more difficult for employees to feel focused, engaged, and productive — both inside and outside the workplace.

A season of cold and COVID
This year may be especially difficult for those who experience a lower mood in winter. Some challenges are unique to the pandemic, like nostalgia about life before COVID, while others may be amplified versions of familiar concerns.

“Employees may face increased social isolation, financial strain, or uncertainty about the future — which are all linked to poorer mental health outcomes,” Horvath explained. “Before the pandemic, mental health conditions accounted for around 30 per cent of disability claims. But with the added burden of COVID-19, putting mental wellness at the centre of workplace culture is even more critical.”

Focus on flexibility
One key theme throughout the mini-guide’s recommendations is flexibility, which, as Horvath emphasized, needs to be tailored to effectively reduce stress. “It’s important for employers to engage with staff to define what flexibility means for each person,” she said, adding that even in fields with more limited options employers can still take steps to ensure that staff have adequate time to rest and are offered leniency when possible.

The guide offers several suggestions to help employers be more flexible, from allowing workers to modify their hours and focusing on output to identifying key priorities and letting the extras slide when they need some relief. Whatever form flexibility takes, the goal is to promote equilibrium for employees, which will in turn reduce undue stress.

“If we’re running out of energy, we can’t continue to produce at the same level,” said Horvath. “Flexible working arrangements can go a long way in helping employees create balance in their lives and improve their mental well-being at work and at home.”

Guidance for every season
While the guide is presented through a winter lens, its recommendations and resources apply year-round. Suggestions to help employers communicate with empathy, offer the right type of support, and help build coping strategies will continue to serve them long after the ground thaws.

Horvath couldn’t agree more. “By taking steps to foster more supportive workplaces today, employers will help themselves create a healthier, more resilient workforce for the future.”

With the right guidance, there’s no reason for any employee to leave their mental health out in the cold.

Author: Amber St. Louis

Amber St. Louis

MHCC champions a variety of suicide pre- and postvention resources

The way our country thinks about, talks about, and prevents suicide has evolved considerably over the past several years. A crucial part of that shift is due to improved reporting practices, something largely credited to a guide written by and for Canadian journalists, Mindset: Reporting on Mental Health (Mindset).

“Since its debut in 2014, Mindset has become the leading resource of its kind in Canada,” said Louise Bradley, the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC’s) president and CEO. “There is no doubt that the media is a key player in raising awareness and shaping public opinion about mental illness, a fact that underscores the importance of responsible and informed reporting.”

Update to a key media resource

Late last year, the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, with support from the MHCC and CBC News, released the third edition of Mindset. Among its key additions is an extensive update to the chapter on suicide reporting, meant to help journalists explore the topic in a more robust way without causing undue harm.

“What we’ve seen in recent years has been the flourishing of incisive, enterprising, and award-winning longer-form journalism that has taken the discussion of suicide much deeper, to considerable public benefit,” said Cliff Lonsdale, who led the editorial team responsible for the guide’s content. “But the journalists doing that work often had little relevant guidance to help them choose ethical approaches for the different kinds of stories they were telling.”

The revised suicide chapter includes recommendations to help journalists go beyond reporting individual incidents and dig deeper into causes, higher-risk populations, policy shortcomings, and protective factors — while emphasizing the importance of context and independent judgment.

The power of language

The guide also reinforces the media’s power to shape the public lexicon by using non-stigmatizing language. For example, journalists (along with the rest of us) should opt for “died by suicide” as opposed to “committed suicide,” which attributes a value judgment to the act and suggests moral or legal wrongdoing.

“Writing about mental illness in all its richness, and with all its challenges, need not cause stigma,” notes Globe and Mail health columnist André Picard in his foreword to the guide. “Rather, it provides us with a rare chance to bring about meaningful social change alongside a golden opportunity to better journalism.”

Delve deeper into the materials covered in the guide, with resources that include case studies and video clips, at the Mindset website.

MHCC resources for those affected by suicide

While thoughtful media coverage may spell a sea change in our collective understanding, those who’ve been affected by suicide need specialized resources. Together with our partners, the MHCC has developed two toolkits that offer practical support a little closer to home.

One is for people who have been affected by a suicide attempt; the other, for people who have lost someone to suicide. Both toolkits include coping and support strategies, crisis planning, tips on sharing your story, and messages of hope.

At the school or community level, it can be hard to know what actions to take following a death by suicide (also called “postvention”). The Postvention Program: Being Prepared to Act in the Event of a Suicide webinar was developed to help communities prepare for and navigate that difficult period.

On top of its toolkits and webinars, the MHCC was a proud collaborator on a series of suicide fact sheets related to bullying, injury prevention, trauma-informed care, older adults, sexual minorities, and transgender people. Along with general information, the documents include key statistics, practical tips, and additional resources.

See the complete list of MHCC resources on our suicide prevention page.

For Bradley, we all have a role to play in preventing suicide: “The more we illuminate the darkest corners of stigma — be it through responsible media coverage or public education — the more lives we can save.”

Author: Amber St. Louis

Amber St. Louis

For caregivers, finding the right balance is key

The holiday season is synonymous with giving. Many of us dedicate our time and attention to causes close to our hearts and to people in need of support. For unpaid or family caregivers, though, giving is more than a seasonal gesture of goodwill. And this year, as the rest of us prepare for a more subdued holiday season under the shadow of COVID-19, these caregivers must find a way to strike a balance between caring for their loved ones and giving back to themselves.

“We know that many caregivers experience heightened levels of stress and anxiety,” said Louise Bradley, the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC’s) president and CEO. “Now that the pandemic has upended our routines and altered our best-laid plans, it’s more important than ever for caregivers to re-assess what’s working, and not let their own mental health fall by the wayside.”

Denise Waligora, an MHCC Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training and delivery specialist, understands this balancing act all too well. “Both my mom and dad have serious physical conditions, and my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s last year,” she explained. “I’m fortunate to be able to work remotely while caring for them, but leaving time for myself hasn’t been easy.”

One of the biggest challenges, she said, is learning to set boundaries. “One evening my mom started listing all the things she wanted us to do after dinner, and I finally had to speak up. I reminded her that after long days filled with appointments and obligations, I needed some downtime in the evenings. As caregivers, we have to recognize when it’s getting to be too much and learn that saying ‘no, not right now’ is OK.”

To Waligora, carving out downtime is an important act of self-care. “Even if it’s limited,” she said, “take whatever time that’s there and don’t feel guilty about it. We all need time to recharge.”

While caregivers of all kinds face similar challenges, those caring for older adults know that supporting their loved one’s mental health can often be more difficult than meeting their physical needs. Fortunately for Waligora, being a facilitator for the MHFA Seniors course has helped her bridge the generational divide.

“I don’t think my parents have ever been told it’s ok to feel the way they do,” she explained. “The course has taught me the importance of validating their fears. It’s also improved my communication skills with my parents and opened conversations that may not have happened previously.”

To help others facing similar communication barriers, Waligora contributed some special insights to the MHCC’s Caring for Older Adults During COVID-19 tip sheet, which offers practical advice to support the mental health of older loved ones.

Equally important is communication from the caregivers themselves. Caregiving can be an isolating job, especially during a global pandemic when social gatherings have all but disappeared. But as Waligora points out, maintaining social connection is invaluable to caregivers. “Never be afraid to reach out to your support system,” she said. “You don’t always have to be the ‘strong’ one — It’s OK to ask for help.”

Bradley agrees. “Caregivers are prone to putting their own mental wellness last,” she said. “But no one can pour from an empty cup. Caring for yourself, whatever form that takes, will help you be a healthier, more effective caregiver.”

To learn more about implementing self-care into your life, read the Mental Health First Aid COVID-19 Self-Care and Resilience Guide. “Caring for a loved one is noble, valuable work,” said Bradley, “but giving yourself the gift of self-care is priceless.”

Author: Amber St. Louis

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