E Mental Health

This book describes the use of telecommunication technologies to provide mental health services to individuals in communities or locations that are underserviced, typically as a result of their geographic isolation or due to cultural and/or linguistic barriers. The potential of the e-Mental Health approach is demonstrated in various mental health settings by describing concrete clinical examples and applications involving novel strategies for employing technology. Further, the book presents an approach to cooperation on a global level based on the exchange of expertise and knowledge across national boundaries. The target audience includes mental health workers (clinicians and staff members), medical and nursing students, academic researchers, technology professionals and health care policy makers.

This book is a primer on Stepped Care 2.0. It is the first book in a series of three. This primer addresses the increased demand for mental health care by supporting stakeholders (help-seekers, providers, and policy-makers) to collaborate in enhancing care outcomes through work that is both more meaningful and sustainable. Our current mental health system is organized to offer highly intensive psychiatric and psychological care. While undoubtedly effective, demand far exceeds the supply for such specialized programming. Many people seeking to improve their mental health do not need psychiatric medication or sophisticated psychotherapy. A typical help seeker needs basic support. For knee pain, a nurse or physician might first recommend icing and resting the knee, working to achieve a healthy weight, and introducing low impact exercise before considering specialist care. Unfortunately, there is no parallel continuum of care for mental health and wellness. As a result, a person seeking the most basic support must line up and wait for the specialist along with those who may have very severe and/or complex needs. Why are there no lower intensity options? One reason is fear and stigma. A thorough assessment by a specialist is considered best practice. After all, what if we miss signs of suicide or potential harm to others? A reasonable question on the surface; however, the premise is flawed. First, the risk of suicide, or threat to others, for those already seeking care, is low. Second, our technical capacity to predict on these threats is virtually nil. Finally, assessment in our current culture of fear tends to focus more on the identification of deficits (as opposed to functional capacities), leading to over-prescription of expensive remedies and lost opportunities for autonomy and self-management. Despite little evidence linking assessment to treatment outcomes, and no evidence supporting our capacity to detect risk for harm, we persist with lengthy intake assessments and automatic specialist referrals that delay care. Before providers and policy makers can feel comfortable letting go of risk assessment, however, they need to understand the forces underlying the risk paradigm that dominates our society and restricts creative solutions for supporting those in need.

This report revives the ISC Discussion Paper series issued under the auspices of the Information Strategy Committee of the AHMAC National Mental Health Working Group. As the third paper in the series it addresses the important emerging area of electronic mental health and aims to generate discussion about these developments as well as highlighting possible strategic areas for action by governments and other interested parties.

In Mental Health and Canadian Society leading researchers challenge generalisations about the mentally ill and the history of mental health in Canada. Considering the period from colonialism to the present, they examine such issues as the rise of the insanity plea, the Victorian asylum as a tourist attraction, the treatment of First Nations people in western mental hospitals, and post-World War II psychiatric research into LSD.

This book makes the case that career development practice is a mental health intervention, and provides skills and strategies to support career development practitioners in their work. It explores how practitioners do more than help people navigate career paths, they change people's lives in ways that improve mental health and overall well-being.

Gain the knowledge and skills you need to provide psychiatric mental health nursing care in Canada! Varcarolis's Canadian Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 3rd Edition uses a practical clinical perspective to provide a clear understanding of this often-intimidating subject. It provides a foundation in nursing techniques and a guide to psychobiological disorders such as bipolar and depressive disorders, trauma interventions, and interventions for distinct populations such as children and older adults. Adapted to meet the needs of Canadian nurses by Cheryl L. Pollard and Sonya L. Jakubec, this market-leading text prepares you for practice with real-world examples presented within a Canadian legal, ethical, and cultural context. Canadian focus throughout includes key considerations such as our nation’s cultural and social diversity with federal/provincial/territorial distinctions. Canadian research and statistics reflect mental health and mental health practice in Canada. Research Highlight boxes are updated with examples of Indigenous research methodologies by Indigenous researchers and settler allies. DSM-5 boxes provide criteria for disorders covered by the American Psychological Association. Learning features include key terms and concepts, learning objectives, key points to remember, critical thinking, and chapter reviews, reinforcing important information and helping to apply textbook content to the clinical setting. Assessment Guidelines boxes summarize the steps of patient assessment for various disorders. Drug Treatment boxes feature the most current generic and trade names for drugs used in Canada. Patient and Family Teaching boxes provide important details that should be discussed with patients and care givers. Integrative Therapy boxes highlight the different types of therapy may be used to enhance treatment. Considering Culture boxes discuss the importance of cultural safety in providing competent care to diverse populations within various clinical situations. NEW! Safety Tip boxes highlight important issues of safety for psychiatric mental health care, patient experiences, and nursing interventions. NEW! Added mental health content covers Indigenous populations, migrant populations, and gender differences with a focus on cultural safety, equity-informed approaches, relational and trauma-informed practices. Updated Chapter 29 covers recovery, survivorship, and public mental health approaches. Enhanced topics include substance use disorders, harm reduction, and support among nurses; changes related to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) legislation; and mental health in view of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.