

‘Shadow pandemic’ of young people with eating disorders a challenge for health networks to treat
More children and teens are suffering from eating disorders than ever before, according to Canada’s largest pediatric hospital, as social isolation caused by school disruptions and limits on extracurricular activities takes a toll. Children as young as 9 and 10 are...

Mental health first aid: A step to ease the pandemic mental health crisis
For months a mental health crisis has accompanied the misery brought on by COVID-19. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in August that symptoms of anxiety had tripled and depression symptoms had quadrupled among a group of 5,470 adults as...

Demands grow for systemic changes in care as Canadians struggle more with depression and anxiety
How has the pandemic hurt the psyche of Canadians? It’s a question that nagged at Michael Cooper since Canada’s first COVID-19 cases were identified. Sitting on a call with his colleagues at Mental Health Research Canada on March 10, Cooper discussed how the pandemic...

New affordable housing with mental health and addiction supports opens in Nanaimo
A three-story complex of low-rent housing has begun welcoming residents in Nanaimo. The doors officially opened on 285 Rosehill St. at Terminal Ave on Dec. 1, providing 23 studio apartments for those with mental health and addiction services. Owned and operated by the...

How training parents can help treat kids with mental illness
They call it the speed validation game. On one side of the table, a parent playing a teenager reads a statement from a stack of cards: You owe me a new phone. I wish you were dead. I wish I were dead. Another parent, sitting opposite, tries to answer wisely and...
Recent Posts
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VIMHS NEWS
Bridge housing and supportive housing in Campbell River
Provinces across Canada face similar issues as attempts are made to provide housing to homeless citizens. In British Columbia, the provincial government is acting on several fronts, across a spectrum of programs, from emergency shelters to temporary, transitional, and...
VIMHS Rosehill Apartments in Nanaimo are now available for rent
23 units of new rental housing are now available in Nanaimo at VIMHS Rosehill Apartments (located at 285 Rosehill Street). Rental rates are governed by BC Housing's Community Housing Fund. "There is an urgent need to create more options for those struggling to find...
Mental Illness Awareness Week 2020: Navigating Mental Health during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) has announced the five Canadians who have been named as the “2020-21 Faces of Mental Illness.” The announcement came just before the start of Mental Illness Awareness Week, which will be held from...
MEDIA SCAN
Mental health first aid: A step to ease the pandemic mental health crisis
For months a mental health crisis has accompanied the misery brought on by COVID-19. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in August that symptoms of anxiety had tripled and depression symptoms had quadrupled among a group of 5,470 adults as...
Ups and downs for people working to address homelessness in Campbell River
People working in Campbell River on the homelessness crisis have made a lot of progress since 2021, but also had a few unexpected setbacks. The year started off well, with the announcement of a working group with the Campbell River Coalition to End Homelessness that...
Demands grow for systemic changes in care as Canadians struggle more with depression and anxiety
How has the pandemic hurt the psyche of Canadians? It’s a question that nagged at Michael Cooper since Canada’s first COVID-19 cases were identified. Sitting on a call with his colleagues at Mental Health Research Canada on March 10, Cooper discussed how the pandemic...
PEOPLE FIRST MEDIA
Mental illness and recovery: Nick Petrella & Jillian Brown
Mental Illness Awareness Week is an annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness. It has been observed every year since 1992 and is coordinated by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and...
Mental illness and recovery: Keith Lyon & Lydia Migneault
Mental Illness Awareness Week is an annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness. It has been observed every year since 1992 and is coordinated by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and...
Mental illness and recovery: Karandeep Gill & Caroline Fei-Yeng Kwok
Mental Illness Awareness Week is an annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness. It has been observed every year since 1992 and is coordinated by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and...