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Recovering backpacker, Cornwallite at heart, political enthusiast, catalyst, writer, husband, father, community volunteer, unabashedly proud Canadian. Every hyperlink connects to something related directly or thematically to that which is highlighted.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Hey, thought you'd find this interesting:



Police services across the country are increasingly focusing on the need for better mental health training/internal supports (though they don't refer to anxiety and depression among officers directly).  The training they get tends to be academic, not hands on.

Through provincial consultations (Poverty reduction, youth engagement, etc.) happening now, mental health is emerging as a much more pervasive issue than has been fully recognized - it's the new left-handedness.  It also happens to be one of the few areas that all Parties, at all levels, have demonstrated a willingness to work together to address.

The Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods consultations are bringing up the connection between physical space (living in a slum, for instance) and mental health concerns.  Work being done in the States suggests that environmental plays a much bigger role in addictions than has been previously recognized.  
Mental illness in the workplace is having a massive impact on productivity and presenteeism (the act of being at work but functioning at less than 100%).  Apparently, something like 60% of OPS employees are receiving assistance for mental health concerns (details not sure of, but with a number that high, it suggests a structural concern).  This looks to be a symptom of management techniques and work/work space design not suited to the sorts of expectations being placed on people today.

With The Aspiring Workforce report, the other side of the equation is emerging - people with "mental illness" are having a hard time being hired.  Part of that is due to the fact they need special accommodations and understanding on the part of employers, much as do expecting mothers or persons with physical disabilities.  Due to this stigma, far too many able-bodied people are languishing on the margins of society, having run-ins with the law and ending up on the street and in the hospital (see previous points).

We've diagnosed the wrong root cause for our economic, democratic and quality-of-life woes.  We're focusing on treating lead poisoning instead of taking the lead out of the pipe, pushing people to adapt to an outdated work/life model instead of adapting our institutions to the times.  


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