News

TORONTO (ONTARIO) Oct. 26, 2021—Margaret Eaton, National CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), today issued the following statement in response to the new federal cabinet:

“CMHA is delighted that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has created two new ministerial portfolios to tackle mental health, addictions and housing—critical issues that will require a strong cabinet focus to transform mental health care and support in Canada once and for all.

We congratulate the Honourable Carolyn Bennett on her new role as Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and look forward to working with her to address long-standing gaps in Canada’s mental health system.

We are also pleased to see the government recognize the importance of the right to housing as we look ahead to national recovery. We congratulate the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, new Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, and look forward to working with him to ensure access to supportive housing for people with mental illnesses and substance use problems so that they have safe places to live as they recover.

Federal leadership is critical to make meaningful progress on mental health in every community, including for the most vulnerable people in Canada. The pandemic has shown the need for significant resources and political will to address mental health. We have a unique opportunity in this moment in time to address long-standing gaps in our mental health system: from the lack of timely access and culturally sensitive care, to care gaps in remote locations and patchwork programs. Everyone has a right to access mental health care wherever they are, whenever they need it.

We look forward to working with these new ministers and their Cabinet colleagues to improve mental health outcomes for all Canadians.”

 

About the Canadian Mental Health Association 

Founded in 1918, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is the most established, most extensive community mental health organization in Canada. Through a presence in more than 330 communities across every province and one territory, CMHA provides advocacy, programs and resources that help to prevent mental health problems and illnesses, support recovery and resilience, and enable all Canadians to flourish and thrive. For more information, please visit www.cmha.ca.

For further information, please contact:

Katherine Janson
National Director of Communications
Canadian Mental Health Association
kjanson@cmha.ca
Cell: 647-717-8674

Vancouver, BC, September 30, 2021 – Today, on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we take time to reflect and act upon our responsibilities to dismantle the systemic racism and colonialism that continues to impact Indigenous peoples in Canada.

We recognize that systemic racism and colonialism continue to permeate our system of mental health care in this country. We are working to set new standards within our organization that seek to fully implement the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and particularly those calls for Indigenous mental health, healing and well-being.

The Canadian Mental Health Association is committed to working as allies with Indigenous mental health organizations to advocate for increased funding for Indigenous-led mental health services to advance reconciliation and to better support Indigenous communities.

We know that change begins from within. We must take steps to recognize the racist and colonial ways of thinking and working within our organization. We are committed to decolonizing our own practices and establishing new anti-racist and anti-oppressive ways of working.

It is not possible to grapple with or meaningfully recognize the systemic change we want to see and contribute to for Indigenous Peoples in Canada for one day a year. But, today, we take time to stand in proud solidarity with Indigenous mental health care providers and champions inside CMHA and beyond, and across Turtle Island. We commit to creating communities and systems that recognize and value Indigenous voices and rights.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Vancouver, BC June 4, 2021 – The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Ruby Ng to the position of CEO, CMHA, Vancouver-Fraser (CMHA-VF), effective July 5, 2021.
Originally from Hong Kong, Ruby has lived, worked and played on the traditional and unceded territories of the səli̓lwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and xʷməθkwəyə̓m (Musqueam) First Nations, also known as Metro Vancouver for the last 40+ years.

Ruby is joining CMHA VF from the Disability Foundation as Executive Director where she led 7 registered charities and three social enterprises to support people with disabilities. During her time at the Foundation, she and the Boards launched a new growth mandate where Ruby’s leadership and the team’s efforts resulted in innovative new programs and initiatives, as well as, increase in reach, participation and revenue.

With a Bachelor of Arts, Communications (Simon Fraser University) and a Master of Arts, Leadership from Royal Roads University, Ruby also brings a wealth of experience from both the non-profit and corporate sectors in community engagement, marketing and communications. She had previously held senior management roles at Variety – The Children’s Charity and the Alzheimer Society of BC.

Known as a results-oriented and collaborative professional, Ruby believes in the importance of building organizations from within with team members, and creating joint initiatives with community partners to better support the communities we serve. Her ‘concept to completion’ mindset has led teams through change and growth initiatives from strategic planning to effective implementation and balancing operational effectiveness with mission-driven community building.

Her commitment to community is well demonstrated through her volunteerism and participation with the Diversity + Inclusion Leadership Council at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, as a Director of the Board for Vantage Point, and an Advisory Board member with Universities Canada’s Innovative Designs for Accessibility competition.

The Board of Directors is delighted to welcome Ruby to her new role with CMHA, Vancouver-Fraser and look forward to her leading CMHA-VF in its mission to provide community-based services, increase mental health literacy and advocate for effective public policies to improve quality of life for people living with mental health issues.

To learn more, please see attached Ruby’s biography on her Linked in page
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubyng/.

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ABOUT CMHA, Vancouver-Fraser
As the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) helps people access the community resources they need to build resilience and support recovery from mental illness or addiction. We do this by building capacity, influencing policy, providing services and developing resources. Together we positively impact change, creating a community that supports mental health and reduces the stigma associated with mental illness.

We believe everyone deserves to be mentally healthy and live in a healthy community. By offering community-based mental health education, services, and supports for children, youth, adults and seniors, CMHA, Vancouver-Fraser contributes to the long-term health and wellbeing of our communities.

 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Shawn McNaughton
President, Board of Directors
C: 778-866-3338
mr@swmcnaughton.com

CMHA and UBC release data on emotional impact of the pandemic for Mental Health Week

Toronto, ON and Vancouver, BC (May 3, 2021) – The pandemic is taking an emotional toll on people in Canada, as 77% of adults report feeling so-called negative emotions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The five most common responses across Canada were ‘worried or anxious,’ ‘bored,’ ‘stressed,’ ‘lonely or isolated’ and ‘sad’. This is according to the third round of data from the Assessing the Impacts of COVID-19 on Mental Health national monitoring survey released today by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in partnership with UBC researchers to mark CMHA’s 70^th annual Mental Health Week.

“While it’s discouraging to think that so many Canadians are feeling upset, difficult emotions may actually be an appropriate response to a major event like a global pandemic,” says Margaret Eaton, National CEO of CMHA. “It’s a sign of good mental health when someone can experience a full range of emotions, and recognize, understand and manage how they feel—even when it’s uncomfortable. Being able to make an emotional connection is also part of how we seek comfort and reassurance from people in our lives.”

Emotions represent our inner mental states. They arise in response to life events and experiences and can initiate changes in the body and in our behaviours. Some emotions are a positive experience, such as feeling calm, hopeful or secure and others are more challenging, such as anxiety, sadness, anger and hopelessness. Our emotional responses to significant events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, both reflect and contribute to our overall mental health status.

“Good mental health is not about being happy all the time, but having appropriate emotional and behavioural responses to stressors and life events,” says lead researcher Emily Jenkins, a professor of nursing at UBC who studies mental health and substance use. The pandemic has caused significant loss—of loved ones, of connection, of feelings of security. This can contribute to very challenging emotions that are important to acknowledge and process. Hiding your emotions can prevent you from communicating with other people in your life and empathizing with what loved ones are going through. Sharing our very normal feelings of sadness, fear and worry is particularly important during this unusual time of stress, uncertainty and loss.”

Research shows that putting your negative emotions into words disrupts and reduces activity in the amygdala, the part of your brain that drives your responses to stress and fear. Having a specific label for what we’re feeling increases activity in the prefrontal and temporal regions of the brain. The act of naming our emotions can actually help us feel calmer and help us understand what we’re going through.[1]

However, it is important to know when anxious feelings become a cause for concern. Feeling anxious is not the same as having a diagnosed anxiety disorder, but our emotions give us clues to how we’re really doing. Indeed, those experiencing the most challenging emotions related to the pandemic were also the most likely to report a decline in their mental health, as well as suicidal thoughts.

“It’s time to seek help if you are feeling overwhelmed for prolonged periods of time or have persistent feelings of worry, anger or despair,” says Anne Gadermann, co-lead researcher and professor at the School of Population and Public Health, UBC. “Or, if challenging emotions are interrupting your daily functioning, negatively impacting your relationships, your ability to work or enjoy life or causing you to rely on substances to cope. If you are having thoughts or feelings of suicide, you should seek help for your mental health.”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide rates in our society is complex; however, suicidal thoughts and feelings in the general population remain elevated at 8%, compared to 6% in the spring 2020 and 10% in the fall of 2020—substantially higher than the 2.5 per cent observed pre-pandemic in 2016.

Overall, a large number of Canadians (41%) report a decline in their mental health since the onset of the pandemic, compared to 38% in the spring and 40% in the fall of last year. Also, consistent with the first and second rounds of data, the decline is more pronounced in people who are unemployed due to COVID (61%), those with a pre-existing mental health condition (54%), those aged 18-24 (50%), students (48%), those who have a disability (47%) or identify as LGBTQ2+ (46%).

The good news is most Canadians (79%) say they are coping at least fairly well with the stress of the pandemic, using approaches such as: walking or exercising outside (51%), connecting with family and friends virtually (43%), maintaining a healthy lifestyle (40%), keeping up to date with relevant information (38%) and doing a hobby (37%).

Canadians also report they have increased their screen time (57%), are consuming more food (28%), are doing more online shopping for things they don’t need (18%), and are using more substances like drugs and alcohol due to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic (13%).

“Mental health is something we can protect, not just something we can lose,” says Eaton. “Factors that promote well-being include big-picture things like social and economic security, freedom from violence, harm and trauma, and access to mental health resources. It also involves smaller things like making healthier daily choices, connecting with loved ones and learning more about ourselves. When we understand and work with our emotions, this helps protect our mental health—during tough times like the pandemic and throughout all the ups and downs of life.”

The focus of this year’s Mental Health Week is to promote the importance of emotions and the role that understanding them plays in good mental health. Mental Health Week is generously supported by Major Partner Shoppers Drug Mart as well as Westland Insurance, Leith Wheeler, Rogers tv and the Not Myself Today program. To get involved, you can:

 

• Learn more about mental health and emotions at mentalhealthweek.ca
• Share your support on social media by downloading a toolkit and using hashtags #GetReal and #MentalHealthWeek
• Donate to support CMHA-VF mental health programs and services at https://vancouver-fraser.cmha.bc.ca/donation-form/
• If you or someone you love is struggling, please contact your local CMHA or visit the Government of Canada’s Wellness Together portal. If you are in crisis, please call 1-833-456-4566 toll free in Canada (1-866-277-3553 in Quebec) or dial 911.

 

About the data

The survey was dispatched by Maru/Matchbox in late January, 2021 to a representative sample of 3,037 people ages 18 and up living in Canada. It is the third round of a national monitoring survey that is also aligned with work being conducted by the Mental Health Foundation in the U.K. To access a complete summary of the findings, please click here.

 

About the Canadian Mental Health Association

Founded in 1918, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is the most established, most extensive community mental health organization in Canada. Through a presence in more than 330 communities across every province and one territory, CMHA provides advocacy, programs and resources that help to prevent mental health problems and illnesses, support recovery and resilience, and enable all Canadians to flourish and thrive. For more information, visit www.cmha.ca

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For media inquiries:

 

Katherine Janson
National Director of Communications
Canadian Mental Health Association
Phone: (647) 717-8674
kjanson@cmha.ca

 

Lou Bosshart
Media Relations Specialist
UBC Media Relations

Phone: (604) 822-2048

lou.bosshart@ubc.ca

[1] https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/that-giant-tarantula-is-terrifying-but-ill-touch-it-expressing-your-emotions-can-reduce-fear.html

Vancouver, BC and Toronto, ON (December 3, 2020) – The second wave of the pandemic has intensified feelings of stress and anxiety, causing alarming levels of despair, suicidal thoughts and hopelessness in the Canadian population. This, according to the newest wave of data collected through a nationwide monitoring survey on the mental health impacts of COVID-19, released today by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in partnership with UBC researchers.

Most people in Canada (71%) indicate they’re worried about the second wave of the virus, with 58% worried about a loved one or family member dying, and only 21% feeling hopeful. As winter approaches, 40% of Canadians say their mental health has deteriorated since March, with the decline more pronounced in those who are unemployed (61%), those with a pre-existing mental health issue (61%), younger people aged 18-24 (60%), Indigenous peoples (54%), those identify as LGBTQ2+ (54%) and those with a disability (50%). Almost half of women (45%) and a third of men (34%) say their mental health has declined.

“Cold weather, uncertainty, eroded social networks and restrictions on holiday gatherings are hitting at a time when people are already anxious, hopeless and fearful that things are going to get worse,” says CMHA’s National CEO, Margaret Eaton. “I am afraid that many people are in such despair that they can’t see past it.”

Of great concern is the sharp increase in suicidality this fall, with 1 in 10 Canadians (10%) experiencing recent thoughts or feelings of suicide, up from six per cent in the spring and 2.5 per cent throughout pre-pandemic 2016. Suicidal thoughts and feelings are even higher in various subgroups of the population, including those who identify as LGBTQ2+ (28%), with existing mental illness or mental health issues (27%), with a disability (24%), aged 25-34 (21%) and 18-24 (19%) and who are Indigenous (20%).

“We are seeing a direct relationship between social stressors and declining mental health,” says lead researcher Emily Jenkins, a professor of nursing at UBC who studies mental health and substance use. “As the pandemic wears on and cases and related restrictions rise, a good proportion of our population is suffering. Particularly concerning are the levels of suicidal thinking and self-harm, which have increased exponentially since before the pandemic and are further magnified in certain sub-groups of the population who were already experiencing stigma, exclusion, racism and discrimination.”

A third of Canadians (39%) are worried about finances, with half of parents with children under 18 (48%) and those with a household income of less than $25,000 (51%) reporting financial concerns due to COVID-19. Especially as potential school closures loom, parents are under pressure with 13 per cent experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, one quarter (27%) worried about putting food on the table and one fifth (18%) concerned about being safe from physical or emotional domestic violence.

Unfortunately, few Canadians are getting mental health services and supports they need, while many are relying on a combination of healthy and unhealthy strategies to cope.

“It’s encouraging that half of Canadians are exercising outdoors as a way to cope with the pandemic, but only 11 per cent are accessing virtual mental health services or supports. More are turning to alcohol or substances to get through,” says Anne Gadermann, co-lead researcher and professor at the School of Population and Public Health, UBC.

Nearly 1 in 5 (17%) have indicated that they have increased their use of substances as a way to cope. A fifth of people (20%) in Canada have increased alcohol use, while many have also increased their use of other substances, including cannabis (9%) and prescription medication (7%), with even higher rates in subgroups.

The pandemic keeps underlining that mental health is not an individual responsibility, and that policy-level interventions are required. Even before the pandemic, the mental health care system in Canada was not meeting people’s needs due to long waitlists, access issues, inequity and underfunding.

“Lengthy wait times are a problem, in part, because there has been a chronic underfunding of community-based mental health services and a reliance on intensive, high-cost services like hospitals and acute care. If we fund community-level interventions, this will alleviate pressure on an acute-care system already hit hard by COVID-19—and get people the help they need sooner,” says Eaton.

The survey was dispatched by Maru/Matchbox from September 14-21, 2020 to a representative sample of 3,027 people ages 18 and up living in Canada.

It is the second of three strategic waves of national surveying that is also aligned with work being conducted by the Mental Health Foundation in the U.K.

To access a complete summary of the findings, please click here.

Vancouver, December 1, 2020 – Today, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) expands its Resilient Minds© program from British Columbia and Prince Edward Island into the Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. This program, the first of its kind, brings formal psychoeducation to fire halls and departments nationwide, mitigating occupational stress and trauma responses, while building healthier teams. 

Co-developed by CMHA, Vancouver-Fraser with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services in 2016, Resilient Minds© is an evidence-based, peer-led, skills and resilience development training program designed by and for fire fighters.

To date, Resilient Minds© has successfully equipped fire fighters across BC and PEI with skills to safeguard their psychological health. The program is designed for both career and volunteer fire fighters and is quickly becoming a sought-after program in the fire-fighting community across the country.

“Firefighters work hard to protect our communities, and Resilient Minds© can help protect their mental health,” said Margaret Eaton, National CEO, CMHA. “This program keeps fire fighters well and teaches them how to identify psychological stress and trauma in themselves, their peers and members of the public. CMHA is proud to be offering Resilient Minds© to more first responders nationwide.”

In numbers

Fire fighters are exposed to significant trauma as a result of their work and require skills to safeguard their psychological health, skills that are not taught as part of their technical training. This skill deficit not only puts them at risk of developing a psychological illness, but contributes to a high rate of suicide amongst fire fighters; 30% higher than the general population.

Recognizing that many other first responders, such as paramedics and nurses are in need of this training, CMHA is prepared and eager to begin adapting Resilient Minds© for other first response sectors. There is a clear need for evidence-based solutions to support first responders in a way that is specific to their occupational stressors. CMHA is dedicated to promoting mentally healthy cultures and behaviours within fire services more broadly.

 

For more information, visit www.resilientminds.cmha.ca.