Building Peace and Resilience in Uganda

The United Nations has called the situation in northern Uganda the most neglected humanitarian crisis in the world. The 20-year civil war between government forces and a rebel group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army has victimized tens of thousands of youth, destroyed families and fractured communities. The recent decrease in armed conflict has left the region with a difficult question: how do you teach peace to a generation who has known nothing but war? The future of this region is in its youth! Many young people have been traumatized as victims and as perpetrators of violence. They have grown up knowing fear, now they need to learn to adapt to a less frightening world and to help each other heal.  Last year, the Dalhousie International Health Office (IHO) and Section of International Psychiatry: Youth Coalition for Peace participated in a joint project with the Canadian Physicians for Aid Relief (CPAR) and Gulu University. Their goal was to work with affected youth, communities and non-governmental organizations to help build a climate supporting sustainable peace in Northern Uganda. Using a youth peer counselling model, our team developed a training program to integrate mental health into local peace-building efforts and establish community activities to address these issues in a non-stigmatizing manner. Given the important role that sport plays in Ugandan communities, soccer was identified as tool to engage youth and teach peace-building skills such as teamwork and conflict resolution. My Daughter, Leah Kutcher - captain of the 2006 Dalhousie women’s soccer team - worked with Katie Orr at the Dalhousie International Health Office and coach Graham Chandler to send extra uniforms, equipment and soccer balls to Ugandan teams who lacked the materials needed to play. The Halifax City Soccer Club also contributed uniforms and equipment.  A program update from CPAR earlier this year reported that the uniforms and equipment were successfully distributed to youth teams in Laiby and Bungaterra. The update also reported the establishment of many community-organized sports, music and drama programs and Peace Clubs, allowing Ugandan youth to finally start building a better, more peaceful future. Since then Stan Football Club (Stan FC) is thriving! Their latest blog entry is evidence of their success:

Stan football club players were honored by youth coalition for peace (YCFP), a community-based organization working (CBO) in northern Uganda to participate in a five-day children soccer camp for peace. Players are learning lots of new skills and rules for fair play that can foster harmony and sustainable youth participation in sport for development. The camp is being facilitated by professional coaches from Canada.

They have some great photos posted on their site too! ~ Dr. Stan Kutcher

Youth Mental Health and the Internet

If you’ve ever felt that talking to someone about a problem you’re facing is difficult or you feel like you would be more comfortable asking a question anonymously you’re not alone. Many youth feel the same way! For a lot of young people the Internet is an important source of health information, and a place where they can ask questions about topics they may not feel at ease discussing with friends, family or doctors.

According to a 2001 report produced by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation entitled “Generation RX.com: How young people use the Internetfor Health Information”, three out of four youth (ages 15-24) have used the Internet at least once to find health information. This statistic is more than the proportion who have ever gone online to check sports scores (46%), buy something (50%), or participate in a chat room (67%), and about the same proportion that have ever played games (72%) or downloaded music (72%) online. The report also highlighted that about one in four youth have researched depression or mental illness (23%) and problems with drugs or alcohol (23%). And with the growth of the Internet and the number of youth who have access to computers, the number of young people accessing health information online might be even higher today!

Because so many youth are looking for information online about their health, including their mental health, it is more important than ever to provide young people with the best information possible for them to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. This means providing information that is based on scientific evidence and coming from qualified health care professionals.

One online resource doing just that is YooMagazine, an interactive health literacy program designed for young people. YooMagazine’s goal is to provide youth with accurate health and mental health information in a variety of interactive formats (information sheets, how-to sheets, Q&A, quizzes, etc.) and to improve health literacy and decision-making skills among youth.

YooMagazine started in 2006 by Dr. Darcy Santor, at the Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health in Ottawa, and by Dr. Alexa Bagnell, at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. The program has partnered with experts and institutions across Canada giving the website a national scope and expertise. YooMagazine is also available to schools and community groups free of charge.

~ By Haley McInnis (excerpt from Moods Magazine - 2008 Fall Issue)

Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission to Install Barrier on the MacDonald Bridge

Thanks to Mr. Steve Snider the CEO of the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission for finally moving to install a barrier that will substantially increase the difficulty of completing suicide from the MacDonald Bridge.

Many large cities have a “favoured” location to which individuals contemplating suicide congregate. In Halifax-Dartmouth, the MacDonald Bridge is one of those places. The fact that it is conveniently close to a major mental health facility only serves to accentuate its importance in this problem.

Since the impetus to complete suicide often waxes and wanes, actions that can substantially delay the final act leading to suicide may deter the suicidal individual from acting and may increase the probability of choosing life instead. Indeed, many people who have decided not to complete suicide or who have survived a suicide attempt go on to live positive and productive lives and when reflecting on their suicide considerations are very pleased that they did not go through with their plans. Restriction of lethal means is one of the few public health measures that have been associated with decreasing suicide rates. Although method substitution is technically possible, research studies have not been able to demonstrate a clear pattern of this occurring when a bridge barrier is erected. So is it likely that putting up a barrier on the MacDonald Bridge will save lives? Probably. Will it send a clear message of concern for this important health issue? Totally! Is it about time this happened? Absolutely!

Actually, important as the role that Mr. Snider had in moving this agenda forward, the true heroes of the story are Carol Cashen and a concerned group of citizens and mental health advocates. As many residents of Halifax-Darthmouth Ms. Cashen is a public health nurse and the mother of a young man who took his life by jumping from the MacDonald Bridge. Together with other members of the community , with the input of the Canadian Mental Health Association and with responsible print and electronic media reporting Carol and the citizens of Halifax-Dartmouth were able to accomplish what the professionals and government were not able to do. They have made the difference. They are the people we all have to be thankful to.

Further Reading: AJA Award winner: Adam's Fall, by Matthieu Aikins Mother calls for screen to stop bridge jumpers ~

Dr. Stan Kutcher 

New resource helps make academic transitions easier for students

Excerpt from the latest issue of Canadian Psychiatry Aujourd'hui:

Mental health problems are the single most disabling health disorder affecting young people, according to the World Health Organization. In fact, about 15 to 20 per cent of children and adolescents in Canada are suffering from some form of mental disorder.

The adolescent years are thus a critical window in which mental health can be promoted and problems can be addressed in a manner that will improve mental health and de-stigmatize mental illness.  Within the “average" classroom, three to four students will suffer from some form of mental disorder, making schools an ideal place to address mental health promotion, introduce targeted mental health interventions and stigma reduction, as well as address the linkage between mental disorders and learning. Many schools, particularly at the post-secondary level, are trying their best to help their students recognize and address problems. Early identification of mental health issues is an important first step. If left untreated, they can affect student success in three major ways. First, mental disorders affect the emotional well-being of students. If left untreated, they can hinder a young person’s social development, leaving them feeling isolated, stigmatized and unhappy. To deal with these problems, some may turn to socially or personally inappropriate methods of coping, such as violence, drugs or alchohol. Mental disorders may also impact a young person’s capacity to develop and keep a strong and supportive peer network, including positive relationships with adults. Second, mental disorders may present considerable barriers to learning since most mental illnesses are characterized by unique learning challenges. Studies have shown that poor social-emotional functioning and difficulty meeting academic standards are two common obstacles for students with mental disorders. Some illnesses, such as learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder, present distinct challenges to successful learning. These problems can then continue as young people transition to the workplace, thus decreasing the likelihood of vocational success. And third, mental disorders are a factor in why some students drop out of school. About 15 per cent of youth attending post-secondary school drop out before finishing their program (Statistics Canada, 2004). Students cite many reasons for dropping out of school, but near the top of the list are reasons relating to their mental health. Sadly, many of these dropouts could be prevented with early and effective interventions. When you combine these issues with all of the other social and academic pressures facing young people, it is no wonder that some students find the transition from secondary school to college or university to be difficult. The transition into a new educational and social environment can create stress that some students are ill-equipped to manage. Moreover, the period between the ages of 18 and 25 is the time when many mental disorders, such as depression, psychosis and anxiety disorders, first present. All of these factors (and others) can affect the transition to college or university for some students. So what can be done?

 Read the rest of the article on Canadian Psychiatry Aujourd'hui More info: Teenmentalhealth.org - Transitions: Student Reality Check University Affairs article Collegiate mental health gets abetter exam

Teens and Self-Harm

Great post on Teens WhoSelf-Harm by Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D. over at Psych Central. In the blog Marie Hartwell-Walker encourages that "Self-harmers need to be understood, not scolded. They need to unlearn the idea that their feelings are “wrong” and learn that it’s okay to feel them. Most important, they need to learn new ways to manage stress and emotions that they find overwhelming." Also we just linked up with Dr. Mary Kay Nixon and her team of the Interdisciplinary National Self-Injury in Youth Network Canada (INSYNC). Lots of great info for youth, families and professionals. For some interesting and powerful reading on self-harm I recommend the books Cut by Patricia Mccormick and Skin Game: A Memoir by Caroline Kettlewell

Teenmentalhealth.org Wins Web Health Award

Teenmentalhealth.org is now an award-winning website! The site, which focuses on sharing knowledge about youth mental health and mental illness, won silver at the 2008 Web Health Awards. “Teenmentalhealth.org is dedicated to providing information on youth mental health that is based on the best available scientific evidence, and this award recognizes our commitment to excellence,” say Dr. Stan Kutcher, Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health. The Web Health Awards recognizes the best Web-based health-related content for consumers and professionals. The program is held twice a year — spring/summer and fall/winter — with the goal of providing a "seal of quality" for electronic health information. “I was thrilled to collaborate with Dr. Kutcher and his team,” says Jennifer Ayotte of Impact Communications. “They had the vision to take a complex subject like teen mental health and present it in a state-of-the-art website that uses social media to build global community of support.” Some of the website’s key mental health resources include: a guide to understanding teen depression, a guide to understanding evidence-based medicine, a booklet for siblings with a mental illness, various multimedia presentations, and free clinical tools for health professionals.

National Child and Youth Mental Health Day

 Today is Child and Youth Mental Health Day - a national day of celebration dedicated to enhancing the awareness and understanding of the importance of youth mental health. The day of recognition is part of Mental Health Week (May 4-10). Mental health is the positive balance of the social, physical, spiritual, economic and mental aspects of one’s life and is as important as physical health. During adolescence youth travel through a period of major physical, emotional, social and vocational changes as they move from childhood into adulthood. Though the youth years are among the most physically healthy, they are also a time when mental illness most commonly develops. Therefore, it is important that youth engage in activities that help build self esteem, create positive family relationships, and stimulate their mental health as well as their physical health. According to the World Health Organization, almost one-third of the global burden of disease in young people is due to neuropsychiatric disorders. In Canada it is estimated that 15 – 20 percent of children and youth suffer from a treatable mental disorder, yet only the minority of those in need (an estimated 20 percent) receive mental health services. No other such pressing health problem in Canada is so neglected. It is also important that young people and their parents learn the warning signs that may signal when a problem is not just something that will go away or that can be overcome by health improvements. Sometimes problems are the first signs of a mental illness that can be effectively treated, particularly if it is caught early on. Mental health is everyone's business. We all need to be informed.

Celebrating National Mental Health Week

Today marks the start of National Mental Health Week (May 4-10, 2009). Halifax and the IWK Health Centre are privileged to be the national host for Mental Health Week events, but others are doing their part across Canada to build awareness.

As part of Mental Health Week Canada will celebrate National Child and Youth Mental Health Day on May 7. The day's events will include an address by Dr. Stan Kutcher and the Honourable Senator Michael Kirby, a recipient of the Order of Canada for his lifetime of achievement on public policy issues and his commitment to confronting issues related to mental illness.

A quick snapshot of Mental Health Week news:

The Schizophrenia Society of Canada recently commissioned a Canada-wide survey to learn how it can support people living with schizophrenia and their families to recover the best quality of life possible. The extensive survey, the largest of its kind in North America, highlighs certain key areas in which quality of life can be improved for people living with a mental illness.

The Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia has launched a mental health awareness campaign that looks really sharp.

OurHealthyMinds.com, a Capital District Health mental health website, is launching officially on May 7.

The Canadian Mental Health Association and Desjardins Financial Security are encouraging Canadians to test their stress levels over the lunch hour. Volunteers and Staff from CMHA will be handing out stress cards as part of a public education campaign to promote mental health in the workplace.

Stand Up For Mental Health, a program that teaches stand-up comedy to people with mental illness, will perform their inaugural show on Friday, May 8 in Ottawa.

Canada Post is accepting applications for mental health projects. In October 2007, Canada Post adopted mental health as its cause of choice, becoming the first major Canadian corporation to do so. Now, Canada Post has created an independent organization, the Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health, to support this often-overlooked  cause and stigmatized illness