The CatalystConversations on Mental Health

For Pauline Meunier, a paramedic of 26 years, it took a trip to the allergist to give her anxiety a name. “What I thought were allergic reactions turned out to be panic attacks,” she said. “Before I was asked about anxiety, it never occurred to me that my mental health could be the problem.”
Read moreNew MHCC resource aims to support women sidelined from the workforce
Read moreNew community-based research explores cannabis consumption during pregnancy and parenthood
Read moreSamaria Nancy Cardinal and the cost of neglecting recovery
Read moreSpecial Edition: Mental Health Commission of Canada set to inquire, inspire, and improve
Ambitious 10-year strategic plan aims at transformational change in Canada’s mental health landscape
Read moreFeeding on isolation
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.
Read moreStructural stigma: The health-care crisis hiding in plain sight
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.
Read moreDon’t leave your mental health out in the cold
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.
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MHCC is always looking to improve the tools and resources we create to support front-line care providers, policy makers, and those who use mental health services.
Read moreMHCC champions a variety of suicide pre- and postvention resources.
Read moreSupporting those close to us during a pandemic
Real empathy never begins with ‘at least' and while it may be natural to some of us, that doesn’t mean we know how to effectively convey it.
Read moreGiving the gift of self-care
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.
Read moreWhile Dr. Keith Dobson doesn’t have a miracle cure for the holiday blues, he’s got a prescription for improving our outlook: We need to manage expectations.
Read moreIn 2018, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Burin Peninsula became the first of eight communities to sign on to the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC’s) Roots of Hope project — a community-led suicide prevention initiative that aims to prevent suicide with strategies adapted to the local context.
Read moreCommunity-based research a win-win for underserved communities
“We are all experts in our own right,” declared Krista Benes, director of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC’s) mental health and substance use team. “And that is the premise of community-based research.”
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Drawing strength from discomfort
MHCC President and CEO Louise Bradley reflects on the power of resiliency
Read moreWorking toward mental wellness
If there was ever a need for crisis training, it was during the onset of COVID-19. That’s one reason the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) stepped into the breach by offering virtual training to more than 5,139 essential workers, who took over 574 courses between April and October.
Read moreLearning to adapt
To support post-secondary institutions in promoting positive mental health outcomes on and off campus, the MHCC, in collaboration with CSA Group, have created the National Standard of Canada: Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students.
Read moreMHCC Board welcomes prominent student advocate
Back in the spring, at the height of the pandemic, Donovan Taplin happened to see that the MHCC was seeking a new board director.
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