Why a suicide prevention strategy needs to include personal injury prevention
Canadian rates of suicide and attempted suicide have remained largely unchanged over the last several decades. But we have seen increasing rates of suicide in the Canadian military recently, after stable rates for decades. Over 40,000 Canadian soldiers were deployed in Afghanistan, so there has been an understandable concern about mental health problems and suicides among…
Individuals with both psychiatric and medical illnesses can't get the care they need it because of the way health services are delivered
By Sanjeev Sockalingam and Paul Kurdyak University of Toronto Our health system often puts mental and physical health into distinct silos of care, yet no such mind-body separation exists in actual patients. Many individuals with chronic physical conditions simultaneously experience mental health issues. According to the World Health Organization, four of the six leading causes…
Canada needs improved access to mental healthcare services
By Paul Kurdyak Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Sanjeev Sockalingam University of Toronto In any developed country, politicians and clinicians are struggling to improve quality of care while reducing costs of healthcare systems. To remedy this, groups of doctors across North America – including here in Canada – have banded together to create…