MDAO Programs in Ontario
For information about ongoing support and education groups for women living in York Region, click here for more info.
Depression and the Older Adult Brochure
The Older Person's Mental Health and Addictions Network (OPMHAN), the Mood Disorders Association Of Ontario (MDAO) and the Ontario College of Family Physicians' Mental Health Collaborative Mental Health Care Network have undertaken a broad campaign to address the important issue of Depression and the Older Adult in 2004 by launching a campaign at the Raising Awareness Forum entitled "Depression Is A Normal Part of Aging- Right? WRONG!!" Also in April 2004, OPMHAN compiled a preliminary Mental Health and Addiction Services Resource Guide for Family Physicians which was distributed to some 300 family physicians with a special interest in mental health.
In Spring 2005, OPMHAN and MDAO developed a brochure on Depression and the Older Adult, with a simple questionnaire to determine if the reader is at risk for depression. The test includes questions about mood and behaviour. Doctors in New York City, for example, have begun a new program to carry out depression screening using a scored test (which was developed using research from Columbia University), a practice that health officials hope will become a routine part of primary care, much like a blood pressure test or cholesterol reading.
Please look for the brochure in your doctor's office, local mental health clinics, senior citizen centres, community centres. If you want a copy or want to help distribute the brochures in your community, feel free to contact the MDAO office at 1-888-486-8236.
Building Effective Partnerships: Engaging Lawyers in Mental Health Issues
MDAO collaborated with lawyers to develop a series of articles based on the theme, starting with general topics then leading into more specific ones:
Part 1: Finding a Lawyer in your Community -click here
Part 2: Finding Family Law Service in Your Community -click here
Part 3: Accessing Criminal Law Services - click here
Part 4: Services for Witnesses and Victims of Crime - click here
Part 5: Paralegals, click here
Durham Talking About Mental Illness (TAMI)
In collaboration with the Durham Talking About Mental Illness (TAMI), MDAO produced an evaluation of a school-based mental health education and anti-stigma program. Carolyn Watters, the founding leader of the Clarington Depression and Anxiety support group, played a major role in this report as a lead investigator. We, at MDAO, are all very proud of Carolyn's tireless dedication as a volunteer for MDAO, and to the TAMI program, which incidentally, was started by MDAO and 2 community partners in 1998. The Durham TAMI program was the recipient of the Ministry of Health Innovations in Health Promotion Award 2007.
Below is the conclusion of the report. If you want the full report, please click here.