Because the effects of the pandemic are not felt equally, the Mental Health Commission of Canada is turning its attention to populations that are disproportionately affected — including women.
Change is never easy, conceded Louise Bradley, C.M., outgoing president and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC).
“But that doesn’t mean it isn’t necessary,” she said from her home office in Newfoundland, where she’s been working throughout the pandemic.
“I spent a lot of time reflecting as I went on early morning hikes. Moving on from the MHCC wasn’t a decision that was taken lightly . . . but once it was made, it did feel like a weight had lifted.”
Stephanie Knaak has been studying structural stigma for the better part of a decade. She’s an expert in the foundational policies, laws, and practices in our health-care system that put people who live with mental illness at a disadvantage.
Ambitious 10-year strategic plan aims at transformational change in Canada’s mental health landscape
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.
While 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.
“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.”
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.
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