Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Challenges and Choices: Finding mental health services in Ontario
This links to a table of contents for CAMH's "new guide to finding mental health services in Ontario. Written for clients and families, the guide provides information in plain language on common mental health problems, the different types of help available, and how to find help. Sections include information on choosing a therapist, natural healing, medication, suicide and other crises, and getting well and staying well." The entire booklet is also available online in Adobe Acrobat format.  
  

Dual Diagnosis in Provincial Psychiatric Hospitals: A Population-Based Study Year 1 Summary June 2003
A report in Adobe Acrobat format at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health web site. CMHA's Mental Health Notes newsletter indicates that the study "...finds that as many as 13 percent of the patients in provincial psychiatric hospitals (PPH) have a dual diagnosis — both a developmental disability and a psychiatric disorder — and that, while these individuals require more intensive levels of care than other patients, they are less likely to receive the needed level of care." Please note that the term "dual diagnosis" has a different meaning in Canada than in the US, where it refers to co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.