Life Unscripted - Stories of Mental Health and Addiction

Send us Fan Mail

Canadians are feeling more depressed, increased anxiety and feelings of isolation. It's hard to feel optimistic, especially now that we're in the midst of the Omicron varient, throwing everything up in the air again.

The international HR firm Life Works has been tracking Canadian's mental health since the beginning of the pandemic and it releases a monthly Mental Health Index.  Paula Allen is Senior Vice President of  Research and Total Wellness and says this latest report looked at job responsibilities and work relationships and found managers are having a harder time coping and many feel they're in crisis.  Interestingly, there's a growing distrust developing in working relationships among peers. 

Send us Fan Mail

When we look at opioid overdoses we tend to focus on the number of deaths, most often the result of fentanyl in the drug. There is no doubt that these tragic deaths are increasing. But there are many more people who are taken to hospital emergency rooms or treated where they are. Marty Mako from Niagara Emergency Medical Services talks about everything from medical intervention to noloxone to available services and how to access them.

Send us Fan Mail

A half a million people in Canada live with some form of dementia. One in five Canadians have some experience caring for their loved one. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's Disease.  It steals the memories of the person living with it until they don't even recognize their family. Families watch as their loved one disappears. Cassandra Best helps care for her mom who is living with Alzheimer's.  She also works at the Alzheimer Society of Niagara.

Send us Fan Mail

#ProjectPlaid launched in 2019 after the tragic loss of Amelia Durocher to suicide. Amelia loved to wear plaid and taking quick action with a resolve to not let this happen to other kids and families, her mom Shanta created #ProjectPlaid. It not only helped her cope, it quickly became a connection for those who were struggling and it’s now a mental health movement. November is plaid month and Shanta's goal is to elevate awareness of suicide prevention and to help kids talk to their friends about their mental health. Project Plaid is also hopes to raise $30,000 for youth mental health programs at Pathstone Mental Health in Niagara.

If are thinking about suicide or are a parent you can call the Pathstone crisis services line 1-800-263-4944 – 24/7.

Youth can also get immediate support by calling or texting the  Kids Help Phone.

Send us Fan Mail

Children grieve in different ways than adults, but even infants grieve. Kids are often too young to understand euphimisms like "loss".  Children's grief therapist Angel Graham says it may seem harsh but adults need to be direct and use real words like "died" so a child understands that death is permanent. November18 is Children's Grief Awareness Day.

Send us Fan Mail

Managers and supervisors are going to have to re-think the way they interact with their teams.  There has been a lot of information about how people will work – fully remote, hybrid or full time back in the office, shift work, retail or any other job.  Life has been very fluid with work tied to COVID 19 restrictions and re-openings. The uncertainty has put an immense amount of strain on peoples’ mental health and many senior managers have only been able to stay one step ahead.

Nick Pollice of Pollice Management Group says mental health should be the priority. He calls the CEO the Chief Empathy Officer. Understanding and recognizing the signs an employee is struggling is only part. Pollice says there has to be supports in place, a culture where people feel they can talk about mental heath and clear HR policies. He says this also means managers, group leaders and supervisors are going to have to look at their traditional approaches and even shake up the way they think.

Send us Fan Mail

There are different techniques and tools to help people recognize and deal with different mental illness disorders.  Probably the best know are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.  ACT is ofen used to treat anxiety.  Psychologist Steve Abma talks about how accepting situations that make you anxious can be the key to stopping it.

Send us Fan Mail

There is so much stigma and shame attached to postpartum depression many women  don't get help.  It is a big, horrible secret they may even keep even from their husbands.  It can be hard to understand how a mother wouldn't love her child  from the moment they're  born. But as many as 1./4 of women suffer with postpartum depression. When Jessica Gale Friesen had her first baby she thought she'd love him unconditionally. But postpartum depression stopped her from bonding.  Jessica has written a book about her experience - This Will Not Break Me. 

Send us Fan Mail

Wellness Walls are going up in every school across Niagara to provide a safe space for kids to talk, take-action and support fellow students about their mental health.  Students from JK to grade 12 can put an anonymous message about how they're feeling on a post-it note on the Wall.  Other kids are encouraged to post notes of support - some from kids who have had the same experience and share their coping skills. 

The Wellness Walls are partnership between Pathstone Mental Health and the two school boards in Niagara.  Andrea Bozza, the mental health lead at the Niagara Catholic District School Board, says it's no surprise that more children are experiencing high levels of anxiety because of the disruption of school caused by the pandemic. 

Send us Fan Mail

For years, Nicole Regher lived fear of her abusive husband.  When they were dating Nicole thought her boyfriend kept close track of her because he cared. Almost as soon as they were married he became violent.  Nicole escaped her marriage and now helps women like her at Gillian's Place, a shelter for abused women in Niagara, where she is Director of Development & Violence Prevention Programs. https://gilliansplace.com.