mental health

Fae Johnstone, a transgender activist who was one of five women featured on limited-edition Hershey chocolate bars in March, is seen in an undated handout photo. Experts and LGBTQ community members say they are concerned about the normalization of anti-LGBTQ hate and its impact on mental health and safety, as online rhetoric spills into the real world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Fae Johnstone

Fears for LGBTQ mental health, as flood of online hate spills into real world

Fae Johnstone says “nothing ever could have prepared” her for the barrage…

Fae Johnstone, a transgender activist who was one of five women featured on limited-edition Hershey chocolate bars in March, is seen in an undated handout photo. Experts and LGBTQ community members say they are concerned about the normalization of anti-LGBTQ hate and its impact on mental health and safety, as online rhetoric spills into the real world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Fae Johnstone
Alysha Gill, seen in an undated handout photo, says she was in and out of hospitals for anxiety and depression but did not get much say in her care so she’s hoping new standards introduced by the Health Standards Organization will help empower people when it comes to their own mental health. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Alysha Gill

Mental health, addiction, suicide prevention standards introduced in Canada

Health Standards Organization says aim is to improve care, meet needs of Canadians

Alysha Gill, seen in an undated handout photo, says she was in and out of hospitals for anxiety and depression but did not get much say in her care so she’s hoping new standards introduced by the Health Standards Organization will help empower people when it comes to their own mental health. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Alysha Gill
Photos of Mona Wang after a January 2020 wellness check and a still from surveillance footage of Const. Lacy Browning pushing her head into the ground with a boot. (Submitted)

Kelowna Mountie to be sentenced for assault stemming from UBCO wellness check

Lacy Browning was charged with assault after a 2020 arrest on UBC Okanagan campus

Photos of Mona Wang after a January 2020 wellness check and a still from surveillance footage of Const. Lacy Browning pushing her head into the ground with a boot. (Submitted)
Serene Harcus says Interior Health’s internal mental health support system has left her without support or the counselling she needs. (Rebecca Willson/Salmon Arm Observer)

‘Falling through the cracks’: Mental health support gap leaves B.C. care aid struggling

“A person should not have to beg for their life because of mental health”

Serene Harcus says Interior Health’s internal mental health support system has left her without support or the counselling she needs. (Rebecca Willson/Salmon Arm Observer)
File - A teenager holds her phone as she sits for a portrait near her home in Illinois, on Friday, March 24, 2023. The U.S. Surgeon General is warning there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for young people — and is calling on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take "immediate action to protect kids now." (AP Photo Erin Hooley, File)

Car seats and baby formula are regulated. Is social media next?

The U.S. surgeon general is warning there is not enough evidence to…

File - A teenager holds her phone as she sits for a portrait near her home in Illinois, on Friday, March 24, 2023. The U.S. Surgeon General is warning there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for young people — and is calling on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take "immediate action to protect kids now." (AP Photo Erin Hooley, File)
Mike Gee held the first annual Seamus’ Stroll last year in memory of his late son in Campbell Valley Regional Park to raise funds for the Langley Foundry facility for youth mental health in memory of his late son (inset). On June 4, the second 3K walk will take place. (Langley Advance Times files)

Remembering his son: why a B.C. dad purchases birthday cakes for strangers

Mike Gee hopes others will do the same

Mike Gee held the first annual Seamus’ Stroll last year in memory of his late son in Campbell Valley Regional Park to raise funds for the Langley Foundry facility for youth mental health in memory of his late son (inset). On June 4, the second 3K walk will take place. (Langley Advance Times files)
FILE - Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Feb. 8, 2022, on youth mental health care. Widespread loneliness in the U.S. is posing health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic. About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Murthy said in a new, 81-page report from his office. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Loneliness poses risks as deadly as smoking: surgeon general

Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking…

FILE - Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Feb. 8, 2022, on youth mental health care. Widespread loneliness in the U.S. is posing health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic. About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Murthy said in a new, 81-page report from his office. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Ti Zhang is shown in a handout photo. Decision making of any sort can be difficult to do in a period of grief, let alone decisions related to money, experts say. That’s why they recommend taking time before making any big financial decisions while you’re grieving. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Ti Zhang

‘Give yourself time and space’: How to manage your finances during times of grief

‘None of us make good decisions in that state’

Ti Zhang is shown in a handout photo. Decision making of any sort can be difficult to do in a period of grief, let alone decisions related to money, experts say. That’s why they recommend taking time before making any big financial decisions while you’re grieving. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Ti Zhang
Police attend the scene of a multiple shooting in Calgary, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. Experts say studies show most acts of violence are not committed by mentally ill people and that they are more likely to be victims. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Mental-health services come too late, B.C. experts say, after uptick in violence

CMHA cautions against using mental illness as a ‘catch-all’ for why random acts of violence occur

Police attend the scene of a multiple shooting in Calgary, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. Experts say studies show most acts of violence are not committed by mentally ill people and that they are more likely to be victims. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Oleksandr, a patient, sits in a corridor at a psychiatric hospital In Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Tuesday March 21, 2023. In December, the World Health Organization said one in five people in countries that have experienced conflict in the past decade will suffer from a mental health condition, and estimated that about 9.6 million people in Ukraine could be affected. Russia’s invasion in February 2022 resulted in millions of people being displaced, bereaved, forced into basements for months due to incessant shelling or enduring harrowing journeys from Russian-occupied regions. (AP Photo/Vasilisa Stepanenko)

As Ukraine war drags on, civilians’ mental health needs rise

Huddled in the back of a café near the train station where…

Oleksandr, a patient, sits in a corridor at a psychiatric hospital In Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Tuesday March 21, 2023. In December, the World Health Organization said one in five people in countries that have experienced conflict in the past decade will suffer from a mental health condition, and estimated that about 9.6 million people in Ukraine could be affected. Russia’s invasion in February 2022 resulted in millions of people being displaced, bereaved, forced into basements for months due to incessant shelling or enduring harrowing journeys from Russian-occupied regions. (AP Photo/Vasilisa Stepanenko)
A section of the 500-metre stretch of road where a pickup truck plowed into pedestrians in Amqui, Que., is shown on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. A series of tragic incidents in Quebec has thrown the issue of the suspects’ mental health into the spotlight, but a Canada Research Chair holder says the debate risks unfairly stigmatizing those with mental illnesses without improving safety. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Quebec tragedies put mental health in spotlight, but expert warns of stigma

Province seen string of recent seemingly random attacks

A section of the 500-metre stretch of road where a pickup truck plowed into pedestrians in Amqui, Que., is shown on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. A series of tragic incidents in Quebec has thrown the issue of the suspects’ mental health into the spotlight, but a Canada Research Chair holder says the debate risks unfairly stigmatizing those with mental illnesses without improving safety. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
A new research report is reiterating a call for B.C. to fully fund and implement mental-health screening, assessment and treatment for children and youth with neurodevelopmental conditions. (Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash)

Report calls on B.C. to fully fund mental health screening for neurodivergent children

Mental health challenges are much high for children with neurodevelopmental conditions: report

A new research report is reiterating a call for B.C. to fully fund and implement mental-health screening, assessment and treatment for children and youth with neurodevelopmental conditions. (Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash)
A February 2023 Telus Health survey indicates people with debt or financial uncertainty experience worse mental health than those with security. (Credit: Pixabay)

Debt, financial fears impacting Canadians’ mental health, survey finds

Those with financial uncertainty rated significantly lower on Telus Health’s mental health index

A February 2023 Telus Health survey indicates people with debt or financial uncertainty experience worse mental health than those with security. (Credit: Pixabay)
Gov. Spencer Cox signs two social media regulation bills during a ceremony at the Capitol building in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Cox signed a pair of measures that aim to limit when and where children can use social media and stop companies from luring kids to the sites. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)

Utah social media law is ambitious, but is it enforceable?

Utah’s sweeping social media legislation passed this week is an ambitious attempt…

Gov. Spencer Cox signs two social media regulation bills during a ceremony at the Capitol building in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Cox signed a pair of measures that aim to limit when and where children can use social media and stop companies from luring kids to the sites. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
Jack Hanratty has initiated a number of mental health supports as head coach of Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team. (Jake Romphf/News Staff)

Canada rugby sevens members push for mental health literacy in sport

Co-captain, coach hope for more openness around mental health challenges facing athletes

Jack Hanratty has initiated a number of mental health supports as head coach of Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team. (Jake Romphf/News Staff)
Olivia Hahn, 16, wrote a book about grappling with the loss of her mother, hoping to help other young people who are in the same position. (Courtesy of Olivia Hahn)

B.C. teen publishes book about loss to help others her age process grief

Olivia Hahn’s book explores dealing with grief at a young age, detailing the loss of her mother

Olivia Hahn, 16, wrote a book about grappling with the loss of her mother, hoping to help other young people who are in the same position. (Courtesy of Olivia Hahn)
A woman has shared her encounter with a nurse at Vernon Jubilee Hospital in a pair of videos on TikTok, saying she received insufficient care while experiencing a mental health crisis at the hospital. (Savanna Hedstrom/TikTok)

Woman facing mental health crisis says she was refused a face-to-face with doctor at Vernon hospital

The woman’s TikTok video has been viewed more than 218,000 times

A woman has shared her encounter with a nurse at Vernon Jubilee Hospital in a pair of videos on TikTok, saying she received insufficient care while experiencing a mental health crisis at the hospital. (Savanna Hedstrom/TikTok)
B.C. recorded 740 excess deaths during the heat dome heatwave that blanketed much of the Pacific Northwest at the end June 2021. New research from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control shows people with schizophrenia, in particular, had an increased risk of death during that period. (File photo)

People with schizophrenia had a higher risk of death during B.C.’s 2021 heat dome: study

Substance use, chronic kidney disease also increased people’s chances of dying, BCCDC finds

B.C. recorded 740 excess deaths during the heat dome heatwave that blanketed much of the Pacific Northwest at the end June 2021. New research from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control shows people with schizophrenia, in particular, had an increased risk of death during that period. (File photo)
Volunteers from Semiahmoo Secondary school are pictured on the school’s Mental Health Day, which students and counsellors brought back after a pandemic-related hiatus. (Contributed photo)

‘Under high pressure’: B.C. students organize Mental Health Day

Grade 12 students want to see mental health services become more accessible

Volunteers from Semiahmoo Secondary school are pictured on the school’s Mental Health Day, which students and counsellors brought back after a pandemic-related hiatus. (Contributed photo)
BC Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon, Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko, Chuck and Lorraine Marr and Jennifer Chan and her boyfriend Andrew van Rijswick Wednesday helped to present a private member’s bill by Sturko. It promises to improve suicide prevention. The Marrs lost their son to suicide in 2009. Chan’s sister Nicole, then on leave from the Vancouver Police Department, died by suicide in 2019. (Wolf Depner/News Staff)

Private member’s bill by BC Liberal MLA looks to improve suicide prevention

Jennifer Chan, the sister of Nicole Chan, helped to present the bill

BC Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon, Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko, Chuck and Lorraine Marr and Jennifer Chan and her boyfriend Andrew van Rijswick Wednesday helped to present a private member’s bill by Sturko. It promises to improve suicide prevention. The Marrs lost their son to suicide in 2009. Chan’s sister Nicole, then on leave from the Vancouver Police Department, died by suicide in 2019. (Wolf Depner/News Staff)