MDAO Programs in Ontario
For information about ongoing support and education groups for women living in York Region, click here for more info.
FAST TIPS for Facilitators ebook launch This is part
of an ongoing project to identify important (and overlooked) ideas
on facilitation. It helps our facilitators understand a few simple
rules. This is not a faq and it's incomplete and evolving and you
may very well already realize everything that's in here.
After the initial training by David Granirer, the founder of Stand Up for Mental Health (SMH) in 2005, MDAO has been regularly running a 14-week program of SMH to great acclaim. Michael Cole, an untiring, dedicated volunteer, is leading the Toronto run.
SMH is a program that teaches stand up comedy to people with mental illness. At the beginning of 2007, an implausible force was percolating underneath the surface and finally erupted into something magical. The following article (from page 6 of the Equilink Fall 2007) tells the story!
A pilot project in northwestern Ontario will allow participants in the SMH program a continuous one-year run working with David. We have also been privileged to have Dr. Paul M. Kohn involved in a scientific study into the effectiveness of comedic training as a therapy for mood disorders. He volunteered countless hours of his time with a small working group to come up with a design methodology. We sincerely hope the study will unequivocally confirm what we intuitively believe, that the SMH program works, and works beautifully; and it will be an invaluable addition to our arsenal of tools in the journey of recovery.
Depression and the Older Adult Brochure
The Older Person's Mental Health and Addictions Network (OPMHAN), the Mood Disorders Association Of Ontario (MDAO) and the Ontario College of Family Physicians' Mental Health Collaborative Mental Health Care Network have undertaken a broad campaign to address the important issue of Depression and the Older Adult in 2004 by launching a campaign at the Raising Awareness Forum entitled "Depression Is A Normal Part of Aging- Right? WRONG!!" Also in April 2004, OPMHAN compiled a preliminary Mental Health and Addiction Services Resource Guide for Family Physicians which was distributed to some 300 family physicians with a special interest in mental health.
In Spring 2005, OPMHAN and MDAO developed a brochure on Depression and the Older Adult, with a simple questionnaire to determine if the reader is at risk for depression. The test includes questions about mood and behaviour. Doctors in New York City, for example, have begun a new program to carry out depression screening using a scored test (which was developed using research from Columbia University), a practice that health officials hope will become a routine part of primary care, much like a blood pressure test or cholesterol reading.
Please look for the brochure in your doctor's office, local mental health clinics, senior citizen centres, community centres. If you want a copy or want to help distribute the brochures in your community, feel free to contact the MDAO office at 1-888-486-8236.
Building Effective Partnerships: Engaging Lawyers in Mental Health Issues
MDAO is embarking on a new initiative called Building Effective Partnerships: Engaging Lawyers in Mental Health Issues.
MDAO will be collaborating with lawyers to develop a series of articles based on the theme, starting with general topics then leading into more specific ones. The articles will be posted every two to three months. Initially, articles will be posted more frequently. There will be Q & A in the MDAO's quarterly newsletter, the Equilink and the MDAO website. We encourage you, the reader, to send in questions to info@mooddisorders.on.ca.
The first series contains five articles describing the different types of legal services available in your communities.
Part 1: Finding a Lawyer in your Community -click here
Part 2: Finding Family Law Service in Your Community -click here
Part 3: Accessing Criminal Law Services - click here
Part 4: Services for Witnesses and Victims of Crime - click here
Part 5: Paralegals, click here
Durham Talking About Mental Illness (TAMI)
MDAO, in collaboration with the Durham Talking About Mental Illness (TAMI)
produced an evaluation of a school-based mental health education and
anti-stigma program last fall. Carolyn Watters, the founding leader of
the Clarington Depression and Anxiety support group, played a major role
in this report as a lead investigator. We, at MDAO, are all very proud of
Carolyn's tireless dedication as a volunteer for MDAO, and to the TAMI
program, which incidentally, was started by MDAO and 2 community partners
in 1998. The Durham TAMI program was the recipient of the Ministry of
Health Innovations in Health Promotion Award 2007.
Below is the conclusion of the report. If you want the full report, please click here.
Conclusion
As a result of experiencing a Durham TAMI school-based, anti-stigma program, high school students and school personnel show tremendous growth in their overall understanding of mental illness, improved attitudeds towards people living with mental health issues, and there is an indication of greater willingness to seek help for current or potential mental health issues. Through a review of similar programs operated internationally, it is evident that Durham TAMI programs possess many of the elements currently shown to be effective for increasing knowledge about mental illness and improving attitudes. These include: A focus on personal contact with consumers who contradict negative stereotypes, education in various forms (interactive and experiential activities and discussion), facilitation by a trained professional, and for 2 program types, a visit to a mental health facility. Data from the current study will not only serve to show the positive gains that the Coalition has made towards decreasing psychiatric stigma amongst Durham High School Students, but will also guide the Coalition in refining and developing new and more effective programs, particularly for males and students in younger grades.
Wood and Wahl (2006) state that “Indeed, it is important to expand awareness of and put to use those anti-stigma programs that have been empirically validated so that limited resources may be used wisely."
Although the TAMI Coalition has further research to conduct in order to
validate its educational model, the success of all current elements of the
program and Coalition, indicate that TAMI is already successful in
fulfilling its mission. This indicates that the TAMI program has the
potential to serve as a model for implementing successful anti-stigma
mental health education programs, far beyond the borders of Durham Region.
Talking About Mental Illness (TAMI)
Talking About Mental Illness (TAMI) is a program developed by the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario (MDAO) and two other community partners in 1998.
Its goals were to develop and deliver awareness presentations in different communities, and to develop resource materials that would assist other communities across the province of Ontario in delivering their own awareness programs.
The MDAO group in Hamilton, The Mood Menders Support Group, in conjunction
with six other community partners, have so far made presentations to eight
area high schools. Attached is an evaluation report of the program ( TAMI
report of October, 2004 ).
In 2005, the group will go to other area high schools for 9 more sessions
- approximately once a month to a different school.
Click here for the report.