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In her March 2013 editorial, OIIQ President Lucie Tremblay emphasized that Quebec’s 72 000 nurses are a force to be reckoned with, and asked them to combine their efforts in view of changing the health care system, adding, “as professionals, we must promote our expertise and make the most of it to ensure that the population has access to quality care.” There are over 4000 mental health and psychiatric nurses working at every level of the health system. By asserting their leadership, they can help better meet the increasingly complex needs of the population.

Pessamit, 1973. This story begins 40 years ago, after a routine medical exam given at the dispensary of an Innu community in the beautiful Côte-Nord region. The news was unexpected and devastating: like the weighted blade of a guillotine, falling at lightning speed between its wooden pillars, unimpeded by any obstacle in its path, not even my head. That’s when the doctor told us, in a language I didn’t understand, that I would soon have to leave my family, friends and community for a very long time. I felt the guillotine’s effects once again, except that this time, it wasn’t only my head that was severed from my body, it was my very soul that would be severed from the family unit. That seemed more horrible to me than losing my head.

April 2013 marked the passage of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee of Canada in Montréal. Established in 2008 following the claims of former Residential School students, the Committee’s purpose is to “turn the page” on past wrongs in order to “build a strong and healthy future”…

This past February, Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services published an evaluation of the implementation of the province’s Mental Health Action Plan (MHAP) 2005-2010¹. The report states that progress has been made in implementing many aspects of the MHAP and that noticeable improvements to service delivery and organization have occurred in regions where implementation efforts have been successful. However, the evaluation also revealed that full implementation of most local, regional and national measures remained incomplete both across and within regions, and that specified service targets have, with few exceptions, failed to be met.

It is common knowledge that the population of older adults is significantly increasing and that those who live in the community often face social isolation. What may be less well-known is that social isolation can have a detrimental effect on the mental health of this population1. For example, socially isolated older adults may be at greater risk for cognitive decline…

For decades, social workers have been active in the field of mental health through interventions involving people and their environment. They consider individuals’ subjective reality, context and living conditions, as well as their social roles and network, from a perspective of recovery, empowerment, full citizenship and social justice.

The mission of the Health and Welfare Commissioner is to contribute to improving the health and welfare of the Quebec population through appraisals of the performance achieved by the province’s health and social services system. The Commissioner also makes public information that informs societal debates and government decision-making. In December 2012, the Commissioner released its fourth appraisal report, which examines the performance of Quebec’s mental health system.

It is increasingly recognized that family members play a vital role in supporting individuals with mental health problems, since they are the main source of support in about 60 to 70% of cases. While family members have always played an informal role in supporting loved ones made vulnerable due to mental illness, today their role […]

Nearly 20% of the Canadian population is foreign-born. Every year Canada welcomes approximately 250,000 migrants, 10% of whom are refugees. Providing quality health care to immigrants and refugees requires recognition of the unique factors that affect their mental health.

Community organizations have played a pivotal role in the development of Supported Self-management (SSM) for many years. The key element in that support is ensuring that individuals afflicted with a mental disorder are involved in decisions about their own mental health.