A Mom Fighting Stigma — Chelsea’s Story
Chelsea Moon is a 30-year-old recent university grad and mother of two. Her oldest child, 9-year-old Ali, is an active kid who loves to dance, spend time with her friends, and help…
Aboriginal Mental Health Promotion Resources
Connecting the Dots was an innovative 3-year project funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.* The initiative sought to promote the mental health of urban** Aboriginal youth and families…
Alzheimer’s Disease
On this page: What is it? Who does it affect? Could I have Alzheimer’s Disease? What can I do about it? Tips for families and loved ones What are related…
Anxiety Disorders
Suddenly your heart is racing, palms are sweaty, stomach’s churning. Your muscles are tense and your senses alert. Your mind is flooded with worries and fears that something bad will…
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Youth
On this page: There are times when children just can’t seem to concentrate. This isn’t a huge problem for most kids—they can regain their focus and get back on task…
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults
Everyone feels distracted and restless at times. For the most of us, the feelings pass and we can easily get back to work. Some people struggle with these problems for…
Bipolar Disorder
Mood swings. We all have them once in a while. Sometimes we’re happy and excited about the world around us. Other times we’re sad and the world around us seems…
Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Mental Health
Body image and self-esteem start in the mind, not in the mirror. They can change the way you understand your value and worth. Healthy body image and self-esteem are a…
Borderline Personality Disorder
In the past, people thought that someone with borderline personality disorder (BPD) was “on the borderline” between psychosis and neurosis (anxiety/depression). Today, we know much more about BPD, and there…
Building the Ride Don’t Hide movement: Michael’s Story
On August 1, 2010, Michael Schratter, a Vancouver teacher who lives with bipolar disorder, began a solo cycling trip around the world. Over the next year and a half, he…
Certified Trainers
Laura Allen, MSW, RSW Laura Allen brings 30 years of professional experience working in both provincial and federal levels of government. She has held a variety of roles, including Program…
Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Mental Health Issue
Our experiences in childhood play a big part in shaping our health and well-being throughout our lives. Sexual abuse in childhood can leave scars that can last for a long…
Children, Youth, and Depression
While we may think of low mood or other challenges as adult problems, they can affect people at any age. Children and teens can experience mental illnesses like depression. Sometimes…
Coping with Mental Health Crises and Emergencies
Symptoms of a mental illness can be better or worse at times. This happens when people are doing their best to manage their illness, too. Experiencing worsening symptoms for a…
Criminal Justice
Fact Sheets These information sheets were developed for general use by police, public, people with mental illness and family members, paramedics, etc. They are written in a simple, direct format,…
Cross-cultural Mental Health
Our communities are culturally diverse. We know that mental health and substance use problems affect everyone, regardless of their background, culture or ethnicity, but current mental health and substance use…
Depression
After years of working hard at your job each day, you’ve just been laid off. You feel sad, tired and emotionally drained. The last thing you feel like doing is…
Depression, Anxiety, Alcohol and Other Drugs
Part of the essence of being human is experiencing moods (e.g., anxious or depressed) and fluctuations in mood over the course of our lifetime. On this page: Moods, anxiety and…
Do-It-Yourself Mental Health: Brian’s Story
During a routine doctor’s visit, Brian presented his physician with a short list of health concerns. Along with his recent diagnosis of Type Two diabetes, he had also started to…
Drawing on a Network of Expertise: Rita Knodel’s Story
Rita Knodel, Director of Counselling Services at the University of Victoria, knows just how stressful university can be for both students and administrators. As a grad student, her studies focused…
Eating Disorders
Millions of people aren’t happy with the way they look. In fact, the National Eating Disorder Information Centre estimates that up to 40% of nine year-old girls have dieted to…
Engaging People with Lived Experience
Embracing the voice of people with mental illness and addiction is one of the key values of CMHA. This workbook is designed to help CMHA and other like-minded service providers…
Evaluating Mental Health and Substance Use Information
With all of the information coming at us these days, it can be hard to filter out what is good information and what information isn’t so good. This is especially…
Family and Youth Peer Support
The Strengthening Family and Youth Voices project was a province-wide project exploring the role of peer support in child and youth mental health. The goals of the project were to…
Feeling Angry
We all feel angry sometimes. Most of the time, we can deal with feelings of anger or irritability quickly. We may resolve the situation or look at the problem from…
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Worry is a normal reaction to a stressful or troubling event, and it usually goes away on its own. But what happens when the worry doesn’t go away? Some people…
Getting Help for Mental Illnesses
IMAGINE THIS: One day, you develop a nagging cough, or get sharp back pain. Most of us wait a few days to see if things get worse or improve, then…
Grieving
Loss is one of life’s most stressful events. It takes time to heal, and everyone responds differently. We may need help to cope with the changes in our lives. Grief…
Improving Mental Health
When it comes to our physical health, we all have strategies to stay healthy. We might take the stairs instead of the elevator, make sure we eat our veggies, or…
Indigenous Mental Health Promotion: Recommended Resources
Resources from the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres BCAAFC Indigenizing Outcomes Measurement (1.7 MB PDF) The BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centre has produced a report entitled “Indigenizing Outcomes…
Indigenous Mental Health: Visions articles
Visions is an award-winning quarterly magazine written by and for people who have experienced mental health or substance use problems, family and friends, service providers, and decision-makers. Relevant articles or…
Making Healthier Choices about Substance Use
Whenever we choose to use substances, it is helpful to know what steps we can take to ensure that our use is the least harmful possible. Most of us use…
Mental Health for Life
Mental health is key to our well-being. We cant be truly healthy without it. It involves how we feel, think, act, and interact with the world around us. Mental health…
Mental Health Programs for Indigenous Communities
Living Life to the Full Living Life to the Full is an 8-session course that teaches skills to cope with life’s challenges. It is a resilience-building program for anyone—whether they’re…
Mental Illness and Substance Use in the Workplace
One in five of us will experience a mental illness or substance use problem at some point in our lifetime. It only makes sense that something that affects our everyday…
Mental Illness: The Basics
What do you think of when you hear that someone is experiencing a mental illness? Some people feel concern, fear, or confusion. Some even avoid those who experience mental illnesses….
Mental Illnesses in Children and Youth
Kids and teens are constantly changing. They grow up quickly and before you know it, your giggly, energetic toddler is a teenager who sleeps until noon. As we grow, it’s…
Mood Disorders
Moods are our emotions. They affect us every day. Sometimes we’re sad, other times we’re happy. We might even be sad and happy in the same day. But sometimes people’s…
Mother and Mental Health Advocate: Candice’s Story
After losing her brother to suicide and living with her own mental health challenges, Candice has found a renewed sense of purpose and reason to care for her mental health: her daughter. Candice is…
Myths About Mental Illness
Mental illnesses affect everyone in some way. We all likely know someone who has experienced a mental illness at some point. Yet there are still many hurtful attitudes around mental…
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Most of us have had times when we find ourselves thinking about something constantly. We might daydream about someone or something, get a catchy tune stuck in our heads, or…
Panic Disorder
You’re waiting in line at the bank. You’re running late, you have a million other errands to run and the child at the back of the line won’t stop screaming….
Personality Disorders
Each of us has a unique personality that that is reflective of both our genetic make-up and our life experiences. Our personality develops over the years, and is a vital…
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
You’re driving down the highway, the road is wet and cars keep racing past you, splashing water on to your windshield. Suddenly you lose control of the car and feel…
Postpartum Depression
You’ve just had a new baby and this is supposed to be the happiest time of your life. Everyone expects you to be the glowing new mother who experiences joy…
Preventing Suicide
Suicide. It’s a difficult topic to bring up. However, when someone talks about suicide or brings up concern for a loved one, it’s important to take action and seek help…
Privacy and Information Sharing Resources
CMHA BC, with support from the Ministry of Health, has developed the information sharing best practice guides below. These guides are to serve as reference tools for practitioners, individuals and…
Psychosis
What do you think of when you hear the word “psychotic?” Some people are scared of psychosis because of the way it’s shown on TV or in the movies. In…
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia can be a frightening experience on its own. Unfortunately, it’s often misunderstood, in part due to sensational stories in the news and other media. Some people assume that people…
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Have you ever noticed how different you feel when the sun is shining on your face? How about when it’s rainy and dreary here in BC? How do you feel…
Self-harm
People go to great lengths to protect themselves from pain and injury. But some people hurt themselves on purpose to help them deal with bad feelings or thoughts. This is…
Social Anxiety Disorder
Amal is a young man in his 20s. When he was a child, everyone thought he was very shy. Now that he’s in university, he’s having a hard time fitting…
Stigma and Discrimination
About one in five people—over six and a half million Canadians—experience a mental illness or substance use problem in their lifetime. Unfortunately, many people don’t ask for help because they…
Stress
We all talk about stress, but were not always clear about what it is. Stress comes from both the good and the bad things that happen to us. If we…
Stress
You have a major deadline coming up tomorrow and you still have a ton of work to do. Your child’s principal called; your child is being disruptive … again. You…
Substance Use and Addiction
People tend to use the word “addiction” to mean very different things. “I am addicted to shopping” might mean only that the speaker likes to shop. On the other hand,…
Substance Use Problems
Key tips: People use substances for different reasons, and not all substance use is harmful You can think about how substances fit into your life, and seek help when you…
Supporting a Friend or Family Member
It can be scary when someone you love is sick. It can be especially scary if they’re diagnosed with a mental illness. It’s hard to see someone you love in…
Training for Police and Other First Responders
A 2008 research study by the Vancouver Police Department found that more than one-third of all calls for Vancouver Police involve people with mental health issues. In the Downtown Eastside,…
Unemployment, Mental Health and Substance Use
Unemployment rates among people living with mental health problems are incredibly high—even among people who want to work. Seventy to 90% of people living with serious mental illnesses in Canada…
Violence, Mental Illness and Substance Use
Many people fear violence, particularly violence that seems random or unpredictable. We often deal with this fear by avoiding people or situations that we believe might lead to violence. We…
Visions: BC’s Mental Health and Addictions Journal
BC’s Mental Health and Addictions Journal Visions is an award-winning quarterly magazine that brings together many views on mental health and substance use. It’s a place to explore different aspects…
Volunteering and Recovery: Andrew’s Story
When Andrew Woods started volunteering with CMHA BC a year and a half ago, he didn’t know where the opportunity might lead. At the time, he was in recovery from…
Wellness Modules
Ups and downs are a normal part of life. We all feel a bit stressed out or struggle to cope with a problem from time to time. We all get…
Youth and Self-Injury
People cope with difficult thoughts, feelings, or situations in different ways. Some people cope by injuring themselves on purposeand it may be the only way for them to feel better….
