Mental health

Being active to stay fit ... mentally!

Mental health promotion and common mental disorder prevention interventions may apply several well-recognized strategies. Noteworthy among them are strategies that foster the development of public policies and the creation of supportive environments for mental health, that strengthen community action and that support the acquisition of personal skills. These interventions can be global, focusing on several key determinants of mental health, or they can be specific, focusing on only one of these elements; they can also address the population as a whole, a specific age group, or a vulnerable sub-group. Encouraging physical activity is one mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention strategy among many others and can use the various strategies mentioned.

The development of interventions and programs that rely on physical activity to promote mental health and prevent common mental disorders must take into account the main findings and recommendations that are in the l…

Monitoring of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders: Feasibility Study Based on Health Administrative Databases

The term dementia refers to a group of degenerative diseases that affect cognitive function and lead to loss of functional autonomy. Vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are the most common forms of dementia. In this report, the term “Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders” will be used.

Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders generally start appearing from the age of 60 to 65 years of age and onwards. They affect individuals’ daily functioning by disrupting their memory, judgment, organization, orientation, language or control over their behaviour and emotions. These diseases place a staggering burden on individuals who are affected, their families and caregivers, as well as on professionals and the health system.

To date, most estimates of the prevalence and incidence of AD and related disorders in Canada are still based on the Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA), a large population study conducted across Canada between 1991 a…

Surveillance of Personality Disorders in Québec: Prevalence, Mortality, and Service Utilization Profile

The aim of this report is to describe the use of administrative databases to estimate the prevalence of diagnosed group B personality disorders, along with service utilization and mortality. This group will be compared to personality disorders outside of group B and to serious or common psychiatric conditions (schizophrenia, anxio-depressive disorders) concerning which the INSPQ has already published.

Group B personality disorders represent a common psychiatric condition. Their mortality rate classifies them among chronic disorders, both psychiatric and physical, with very high case fatality (Lesage et al., 2012; Lesage et al., 2015). Moreover, and notably, the excess mortality associated with this psychopathology does not take into account the psychological suffering experienced by the persons afflicted, or their relatives, or the impact experienced on the level of psychosocial functioning. The severity of this psychiatric condition quite evidently influences the…

Surveillance of Mental Disorders in Québec: Prevalence, Mortality and Service Utilization Profile

Although population surveys based on standardized questionnaires on mental disorders convey information on prevalence, they cannot provide timely monitoring data on changes in prevalence of mental disorders or their complications. Moreover, they cannot deliver information on links between services offered and utilization that could be used provincially, regionally and locally for mental health prevention planning and service organization.

To overcome this problem, the unité Surveillance des maladies chroniques et de leurs déterminants (USMCD; Chronic Diseases and determinants Surveillance Unit) at the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) was given the mandate to develop and implement a mental disorder surveillance system in Québec.

To shed light on the nature and magnitude of mental disorders in Québec, the USMCD has published this first report on surveillance of mental disorders, for the years 1999–2000 to 2009–2010. The report provides information…

Contextual study of mental health services in Nunavik

This section summarizes the information gathered from research participants as well as the documentation review.

  • Mental health is identified as an intervention priority in the region for the past several years.
  • Few statistics are available on the state of mental health of Nunavik Inuit. Most participants however agreed that mental health problems are on the rise.
  • Several factors appear to affect or aggravate Inuit mental health problems, including the cultural discontinuity, lack of housing, drug and alcohol use, lack of population knowledge about mental health problems, chronic socio-economic difficulties and unemployment.
  • Key targets identified for an eventual mental health program are youth and men. Individuals suffering from serious mental health problems would also benefit from better follow-up aimed at social reintegration. To this date, few initiatives have been undertaken in Nunavik to help individuals who suffer from common menta…

Cree Health Survey 2003, Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.1, Iiyiyiu Aschii: Mental health

The survey was conducted during the summer of 2003 using a representative sample of residents aged 12 and older from the nine communities in Iiyiyiu Aschii: Chisasibi, Eastmain, Mistissini, Nemaska, Oujé- Bougoumou, Waskaganish, Waswanipi, Wemindji, and Whapmagoostui.

  • The prevalence of mental disorders in Iiyiyiu Aschii is 4.7% for mood disorders and 2.9%* for anxiety disorders. Theses rates are similar to those noted elsewhere in Quebec.
  • A slight majority of residents (53%) reported being in “excellent or very good” mental health while another 39% reported being in “good” mental health, and 8% in “fair or poor” mental health. Having a positive perception of one’s mental health seems to be linked to age, education, physical health and spiritual beliefs.
  • More residents from inland communities than coastal reported being in “poor” mental health and/or having consulted a health professional for a mental problem. It is unclear whether this stems from a…

Science advisory report on effective interventions in mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention

The literature review undertaken for this science advisory report demonstrates that there are currently a number of effective mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention measures. Moreover, some of these measures, particularly those targeting children and youth, are already part of the province’s public health services program. These measures are therefore ripe for stakeholders from various sectors involved with each age group to consolidate their efforts, given the numerous interests they share. Other promising measures need to be adapted to the Québec reality or studied further to better grasp their impact on mental health.

The work carried out has brought certain facts to light:

  • The importance of taking action early in life because the prenatal phase and the first years of a child’s life are critical periods in establishing the foundations of an individual’s mental health. In fact, the protection and risk factors to which children and youth are e…

Contextual Study of Mental Health Services in the Cree Iiyiyiu Aschii

  • The CBHSSJB has for the past several years identified mental health as an intervention priority.
  • The lack of infrastructures within the community for individuals in crisis situations, the lack of supervised accommodation for clients suffering from severe mental health problems and the housing shortage for personnel all contribute to an increased frequency of transporting clients outside of Iiyiyiu Aschii and add to the risk of clients becoming lost in the system.
  • Youth and women must be identified as priority target groups by the MHP. All individuals suffering from severe mental health problems would benefit from improved follow-up aimed at social reintegration.
  • Several factors affect the mental health of the Eenou, including absence of cultural continuity, lack of housing, drug and alcohol use, widespread prevalence of chronic illness and lack of activities. A mental health program must adopt a global approach to intervening in these areas.

Nunavik Inuit Health Survey 2004 : Mental Health, Social Support and Community Wellness

Notions of mental health and wellness depend on core cultural values. For Inuit, these include respect and care for others in the extended family and community as well as for the land, animals and the environment. Inuit understanding of the healthy person gives importance both to self-sufficiency and to interdependence. Healthy individuals show resilience in their ability to solve problems through innovation and resourcefulness and in their ability to work together with others for a common cause.

There is wide recognition that certain mental health problems have increased in Nunavik in recent years, most evident in the high prevalence of suicide among youth, and many people link this directly to the impact of sedentarization, economic and political marginalization, and the rapidity of culture change which has posed particular dilemmas for youth, families and communities. Understanding the sources of mental health, resilience and well-being is therefore of crucial importance…

Research Report on the Quebec Study Carried out Under the Pan-Canadian Project : Continuous Enhancement of Quality Measurement in Primary Mental Health Care: Closing the Implementation Loop (CEQM)

This research report describes the contributions of the Quebec team to the project entitled "Continuous Enhancement of Quality Measurement in Primary Mental Health Care : Closing the Implementation Loop". The main aim of this project is to support efforts at improving the quality of primary mental health care. The identification of a small set of quality measures achieving consensus was the mean retained to habilitate stakeholders to better document their practices on crucial aspects for the quality of health care services. The intervention practices targeted were directly clinical and organizational.

The project’s contributions can be broken down into two components: activities to support the pan-Canadian project; and, in Quebec – more specifically in the provincial capital region-the research project endeavored to generate awareness among stakeholders about the need to improve the quality of primary mental health care and services.

The first two sections of the rep…