Category Archives: Mental health

De l’obscurité vers la lumière / Dark into Light

Hi everyone, Salut tous le monde, I know I don’t write very often but I wanted to publicize an important event. I was contacted by a couple who lost their son to suicide in 2017. They are involved in this initiative that started in Ireland. Je sais que je n’écris pas souvent mais je voulais [...]

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Thank you, Howie Mandel!

Hi Folks, Salut Come join me this Sunday at Montreal Walks for Mental Health Venez me rejoindre ce dimanche à Montréal Marche Pour La Santé Mentale ________________________________________________________ Speaking of mental illness here is an article on the topic of stigma: THANK YOU, HOWIE MANDEL! What’s the big deal with shaking someone’s hand? Well for someone [...]

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Bell Let’s Talk: Part 2

For last year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day I listed some reasons why we should be more open about our mental health struggles. But what happens when we do open up and seek treatment? (Published Jan 25, 2017 in the Huffington Post) Here is just a partial list of some of the biggest issues we might [...]

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The High School Mantra: I’m a freakin’ loser!

Last March the Huffington Post was running a series on youth mental health. For that series I wrote an article about the theory of mind (the ability to imagine another person’s thoughts) and how the lack of this ability can impact children’s behaviour. This makes them point out differences in classmates because they are oblivious [...]

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On lady ‘staches and why kids can be so cruel

Hi, this was published in my Huffington Post Canada blog on March 3, 2016 (SVP, voir plus bas pour la version Française) On lady ‘staches and why children can be so cruel “Miss, how come you have a moustache like a man?” Did you ever hear a six-year old say something like this to a teacher? [...]

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Do I need to take a pill?

(SVP, voir plus bas pour une version Française) An article in the paper two weeks ago quoted a researcher who claimed that 98% of anti-depressants and other psychiatric medication prescriptions could be stopped with no ill effects. As much as I agree that they can sometimes be over-prescribed, I certainly don’t think his statement makes [...]

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Why is that cop following me?

WHY IS THAT COP FOLLOWING ME? (svp voir plus bas pour la version Française) If a police officer were walking toward you, would you run? Clearly not. Most of us would never take off no matter how scared we were. We would never want to give the police officer a reason to believe we had [...]

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The flagpole and the flag

THE FLAGPOLE AND THE FLAG (SVP, voir plus bas pour la version Française) A flagpole stays in its place while the flag keeps changing position. Such is the way of logic and emotion. These two parts of our minds are in a constant dance for control. They can work together as allies and take us [...]

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Troubled loners

(SVP, voir plus bas pour la version Française) Life can be filled with moments of pure joy at times – the birth of a child, the warmth of love, the goose bumps felt when listening to music that inspires you – but unfortunately tragedy and grief are also part of the human experience. We witnessed [...]

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Luka Magnotta, Schizophrenia, and the public’s perception of violence

It appears that Luka Magnotta’s lawyer will be arguing that his client is not criminally responsible in the murder and dismemberment of Lin Jun because he is suffering from Schizophrenia. I will wait until the evidence gets out before commenting on the specific case but since next week is Mental Illness Awareness Week I thought [...]

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