Ruhr University Bochum PhD student Laurin Plank has been exploring the idea of using social media posts as a diagnostic aid for mental health conditions. He says people could benefit from early detection. “If people only ever get help once they’ve developed the disorder, then a lot of damage has already been done,” he said. […]

Researcher Kora DeBeck is calling for regulation as a response to the toxic drug crisis. “The high level, main problem I see right now is the catastrophic number of overdose deaths that we’re experiencing,” she said. “The numbers are really holding steady years and years later, and what we know from coroner’s data, from a […]

As outreach workers, Lea-lah Manson and Lance Point work with people who have likely experienced brain injuries on top of dealing with the effects of homelessness and addiction. Manson says there can be a tendency for society not to look at those who have experienced brain injuries as people. “We don’t see people who have […]

Estimates are that there have been upwards of 600 000 possible cases of brain injury associated with drug poisoning in Canada since 2016, according to Mauricio Garcia-Barrera, a lead researcher with the BC Consensus on Brain Injury project. “By definition, any time that a person loses consciousness because they are not breathing, we are talking […]

Campbell River resident Ashley Kendrick spoke about the relationships she tries to create with parents when fulfilling the role of a foster parent. “You’re not trying to replace [parents]. You’re not trying to step in and steal their kids. You want their kids to go home. You’re wanting to foster that relationship and you create […]

Charlie Cavanagh started boxing at age 12. She’s represented Canada at international competitions and brought home medals, and she wants the public to remember that there’s a person behind the elite athletes on TV. “We’re hyper aware of the eyes that are on us and, after a poor performance, you get a lot of negative […]

The 100 Fine Gentlemen of Oceanside Who Give a Damn are one of a number of groups in the area based on a similar idea. Members agree to donate $100 to charity 4 times a year. Every quarter they meet and vote on what charity will receive those funds, which founder Kim Burden says are […]

After joining the army and training as a medic, and working as a civilian paramedic, Matthew Heneghan wants the public to remember that first responders are human. “We wear a uniform. We have a skill, but we are not impervious to the effects of sadness and trauma,” he said. Heneghan shared his story recovering from […]

Happipad is a non-profit that matches people with empty bedrooms with people looking for a place to live. Based in Kelowna, the group has agreements with partners in a number of communities across B.C., as well as one with the provincial government in Nova Scotia. CEO Cailan Libby spoke with People First Radio following a […]

Alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the country, according to a government of Canada webpage. As a regulated substance, there’s a comprehensive system of rules dictating things like where and when alcohol can be sold, how much it needs to cost, how it’s allowed to be advertised, and what kind of warnings […]