2022 Agenda

Young people have been hit particularly hard during the pandemic. They have increased incidences of depression, suicide, disordered eating, among others. Responding to their needs remains vitally important to ensure timely treatment is delivered.

And while there have been many challenges in reaching youth, there have been – and continue to be – many solutions and successes to draw on. Join in on the discussion as we look at current trends and how to better provide youth mental illness treatment.

Key Takeaways and Discussion Topics:

• Understand the current state and outlook of youth mental health
• What policy solutions are needed, and what can we do at the local level, including homelessness youth
• Gain specific tips for parents, educators, and caregivers to support their children

In March 2023, MAiD will become legal for people whose sole medical condition is mental illness. This legislative change will be met with questions, concerns, and new patient requests. Understanding this new legal landscape, and its clinical, organizational, ethical, and policy implications, will be essential for healthcare providers and administrators, particularly those in the mental health sector.  

Key Takeaways and Discussion Topics:  

• What are the essential pieces of information you need to know? 
• Overview of the legal landscape and its evolution  
• What are the big questions?  
• What is the government doing to support implementation? 
• What are the medical, social, and ethical considerations?  
• What should healthcare providers be doing to prepare? 

Local community outreach is a critical component in managing mental illness and addictions effectively. Too often those that need help are not getting the right help and the right time.

In 2020 the London Police Services received 3084 mental health and addiction calls for service. Although London has well established partnerships between crisis services and first responders including drop-offs at the Crisis Centre and protocols with the Crisis Response Team, gaps in the continuum of crisis response service remained.

Recognizing the unmet need to improve support of individuals in crisis, in addition to better equipping officers who are tasked with responding under the Mental Health Act, the London Police Service (LPS), the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service (MLPS), St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s) and the Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services, (CMHA TVAMHS) partnered to create the Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST) in April of 2021.

This interactive presentation will include representatives from the partnership who will share their experiences.

Key Session Takeaways and Learnings:

• The origin of the model, and rationale for its use
• How they are reached out to support individuals experiencing serious/acute mental health and addiction needs, including those with prolific interactions with the police.
• What their recent evaluation concluded
• Some of the lessons they learned along the way

An ongoing PCORI-funded, patient-centered SUMMIT Trial is currently being implemented in Toronto, Chapel Hill and Chicago aims to improve access to brief, patient-centered psychotherapy (talk therapy) for pregnant and postpartum women experiencing depression and anxiety. Upon completion, it will be among the largest psychotherapy trials in the world and has important lessons for our Canadian context to scale up effective treatments while addressing the healthcare worker crisis.

This is an important initiative because although psychotherapy is a preferred treatment among women, only about one in five can access it.

Key Takeaways and Discussion Topics:

• What is the objective of the study and therapy, as well as the desired outcomes
• How is the team removing barriers to care
• What have the early results shown, and what are the next steps to be delivered

There is a growing movement toward decriminalizing personal drug use. Vancouver and Toronto have both floated the concept, with Vancouver police being told to stop drug arrests and provide more help to those in need. Other countries have taken this route, most notably Portugal, where deaths, crime, and incarceration declined.

Key Takeaways and Discussion Topics:

• The case for decriminalization and why it’s seeing success
• What a robust policy and system would look like to bring about substantive change
• Various models and how they can be applied to Canada
• Cannabis legalization, and what we can learn from its impact so far

There has been progressively more attention placed on mental health in the workplace, but it has increased during Covid. And with higher awareness, there is an increasing demand for services and treatment.

Understanding the scope of the issue, and how best to respond, is a challenge being felt across industries, including healthcare.

Key Takeaways and Discussion Topics:

• Successful tips for creating a mentally healthy work environment
• Developing a blueprint for encouraging openness for seeking help
• Available solutions for supporting staff members experiencing mental health challenges

Psychedelics are having a moment. They are being advocated by famous authors, celebrities, professional athletes, and also many mental health and substance use clinicians and researchers. And while the bulk of the media attention seems to be devoted to recreation and enlightenment, we are gaining promising therapeutic results for people with challenges related to mental health and substance use health.

 Delve deeper into the potential benefits, nuances, and issues surrounding the use of psychedelics in a therapeutic context. 

 Key Takeaways and Discussion Topics:

• The possibilities of using psychedelics to treat challenges related to mental health and substance use health
• Where are we seeing the biggest successes and what this means for future treatments and regulation
• What are some of the challenges doing research in this field and interpreting the results

While equal access to healthcare is a fundamental right in Canada, healthcare ​inequity continues to exist for racialized populations, among other groups. Fewer treatment options for mental health can be a result of geography, but it can also be through systemic discrimination, and/or individual bigotry.

Combating these very real issues is a major focus for many organizations. Here we discuss some of the barriers racialized patients are experiencing, and what is needed to create equity in mental health access and treatment at the local, and institutional level.

Key Takeaways and Discussion Topics:

• The current state of mental health inequities across racialized groups in Canada  
• Main barriers at various stages of accessing care, and how can they be overcome
• Research lessons learned – successes and challenges to take home
• Know your population – how administrators and front-line workers can respond and make changes at the local level
• What everyone can do to create more equitable access to mental health care

Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia can be devastating for families. It is also a stressor on healthcare services, as later stages require more aggressive treatments.

New treatments being rolled out now are showing some promise, particularly with respect to ECT and rEMS.

Key Session Takeaways Include:

• What do these new treatments entail, and which patients are the most likely to benefit
• What are the early results of trials, and when can we expect great access to treatments
• What role do front-line staff play in guiding patients to these novel new treatments