Early Psychosis Symptoms Noted by Family Physicians in Electronic Medical Records During Help-Seeking Visits in Primary Care: Symptômes précoces de psychose relevés par les médecins généralistes dans les dossiers médicaux électroniques lors de consultations en soins primaires pour demande d'aide.

BackgroundThe objectives of this study were (1) to describe the symptoms noted by family physicians during help-seeking visits for early psychosis, relative to a validated screening tool for early psychosis in primary care, and (2) to examine the referral disposition of patients meeting the screening tool cut-off.MethodsWe constructed a retrospective cohort of Ontario residents aged 14-35 years with an incident diagnosis of non-affective psychotic disorder between 2005-2015 in health administrative data, and at least one visit in the Electronic Medical Record Primary Care database during the 6 months prior to the date of psychotic disorder diagnosis ( = 572). We abstracted symptoms of psychosis noted by the family physician in the electronic medical records and compared these to the Primary Care Checklist (PCCL) for early psychosis.

Defining youth-centred practice in mental health care.

Background: Like many other nations, the rates of mental illness among children and youth have risen. Youth and emerging adults (YEA) between the ages of 16 and 25, in particular, have the highest rate of mental health disorders of any age group leading clinicians and researchers to ponder new and innovative ways to treat mental ill health (1-2). Youth centred practices (YCP) have emerged as possible new approaches in youth mental health care to better treat YEA living with mental illness, but also to empower this population to take control of their wellbeing.

Residual subjective depressive symptoms and resilience in patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Residual symptoms experienced by patients with bipolar disorder (BD) is a risk factor for illness relapse/recurrence, and these symptoms are associated with a lower quality of life. Resilience allows patients to cope with stress effectively and acts as a protective factor against relapse. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between resilience and residual subjective depressive symptoms in euthymic patients with BD.

'Impaired in life': Analyzing people's accounts of depression in Ethiopia - Implications for a cultural-eco social approach to global mental health.

Background: Depression is a global crisis and a major concern in mental health interventions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where it significantly impacts disability, quality of life, and economic stability. These chronic stressors have been used to argue for scaling up the detection and treatment of depression as a public health and development priority.

Aim: This study aimed to explore illness narratives of depression among patients' and to gain insights into multifaceted suffering, its impact on persons' lives, and help seeking.

An app-based ecological momentary assessment of undergraduate student mental Health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada (Smart Healthy Campus Version 2.0): Longitudinal study.

This paper presents results from the Smart Healthy Campus 2.0 study/smartphone app, developed and used to collect mental health-related lifestyle data from 86 Canadian undergraduates January-August 2021. Objectives of the study were to 1) address the absence of longitudinal mental health overview and lifestyle-related data from Canadian undergraduate students, and 2) to identify associations between these self-reported mental health overviews (questionnaires) and lifestyle-related measures (from smartphone digital measures).

Effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention for persons with early psychosis: A multi-site randomized controlled trial.

Background: The Mindfulness Ambassador Program (MAP) is a group-based, facilitated mindfulness-based intervention (MBI). We sought to determine the effectiveness of MAP on reducing negative psychotic symptoms and enhancing mindfulness skills among persons experiencing early psychosis.

Methods: We conducted a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) at three early psychosis intervention (EPI) programs in Ontario, Canada.

Anxiety Symptoms and Associated Psychological and Job-Related Factors Among Hospital Nurses.

Objective: Recently, burnout and mental health issues regarding nurses are reported increasingly. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety symptoms among hospital nurses and determine their association with psychological and job-related factors.

Methods: Data on demographics, job-related characteristics, burnout, Type A behavior patterns, self-esteem, and happiness were collected from 515 nurses working at a university hospital in Korea.

Depression and Global Mental Health in the Global South: A Critical Analysis of Policy and Discourse.

Over the past two decades, depression has become a prominent global public health concern, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Movement for Global Mental Health have developed international guidelines to improve mental health services globally, prioritizing LMICs. These efforts hold promise for advancing care and treatment for depression and other mental, neurological, and substance abuse disorders in LMICs.

Access to a regular primary care physician among young people with early psychosis in Ontario, Canada.

Aim: Access to a primary care physician in early psychosis facilitates help-seeking and engagement with psychiatric treatment. We examined access to a regular primary care physician in people with early psychosis, compared to the general population, and explored factors associated with access.

Methods: Using linked health administrative data from Ontario (Canada), we identified people aged 14-35 years with a first diagnosis of nonaffective psychotic disorder (n = 39 449; 2005-2015).

A pilot study of participatory video in early psychosis: Qualitative findings.

For people with psychotic disorders, developing a personal narrative about one's experiences with psychosis can help promote recovery. This pilot study examined participants' reactions to and experiences of participatory video as an intervention to help facilitate recovery-oriented narrative development in early psychosis. Outpatients of an early psychosis intervention program were recruited to participate in workshops producing short documentary-style videos of their collective and individual experiences.

COVID-19-related anxiety and the role of social media among Canadian youth.

Background: Current literature indicates that safety measures, including lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, severely disrupted our lifestyle, marked by increased screen time. The increased screen time is mostly associated with exacerbated physical and mental wellbeing. However, the studies that examine the relationship between specific types of screen time and COVID-19-related anxiety among youth are limited.

Exploration of Existing Integrated Mental Health and Addictions Care Services for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Due to the persistent impacts of colonialism, Indigenous peoples of Canada face disproportionate rates of mental health and substance use disorders, which are often insufficiently addressed by Eurocentric 'mainstream' mental health and addiction services. The need to better address Indigenous mental health has led to Indigenous mental health integrated care (hereafter integrated care): programs using both Indigenous and Western practices in their care delivery. This research describes the common lessons, disjunctures, and solutions experienced by existing integrated care programs for Indigenous adults across Canada.

Sex differences in the clinical presentation of early psychosis in a primary care setting.

Primary care is an important part of the help-seeking pathway for young people experiencing early psychosis, but sex differences in clinical presentation in these settings are unexplored. We aimed to identify sex differences in clinical presentation to primary care services in the 1-year period prior to a first diagnosis of psychotic disorder. We identified first-onset cases of non-affective psychotic disorder over a 10-year period (2005-2015) using health administrative data linked with electronic medical records (EMRs) from primary care (n = 465).

Evaluating the feasibility and potential impacts of a recovery-oriented psychosocial rehabilitation toolkit in a health care setting in Kenya: A mixed-methods study.

Objectives: This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and potential impacts of delivering the Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) Toolkit for people with serious mental illness within a health care setting in Kenya.

Method: This study used a convergent mixed-methods design. Participants were people with serious mental illness (n = 23), each with an accompanying family member, who were outpatients of a hospital or satellite clinic in semirural Kenya.

Patient and Physician Factors Associated with First Diagnosis of Non-affective Psychotic Disorder in Primary Care.

Primary care physicians play a central role in pathways to care for first-episode psychosis, and their increased involvement in early detection could improve service-related outcomes. The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of psychosis first diagnosed in primary care, and identify associated patient and physician factors. We used linked health administrative data to construct a retrospective cohort of people aged 14-35 years with a first diagnosis of non-affective psychosis in Ontario, Canada between 2005-2015.

Review: System transformation to enhance transitional age youth mental health - a scoping review.

Background: Youth mental health challenges are an emerging and persistent global public health issue despite efforts for improvement. As part of a broader social innovation study to transform youth mental health systems, this scoping review assesses interventions that aim for systems-level changes to improve the mental well-being of transitional age youth (TAY) (15-25 years) in high-income countries.

Methods: The scoping review method of Arksey and O'Malley (International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8, 2005, 19) was used.

Heeding the Call of an Innovative Paradigm for Mental Health Interventions in Low- and Middle-income Countries.

The provision of mental health care for people living in low- and middle-income countries presents a particularly complex problem because of fractured service availability and provision, widespread stigma associated with mental illness, and the economic burden inherent in conventional mental health service delivery. People with serious mental illness in these settings are among the most marginalized in their societies and are at risk of becoming increasingly powerless in the face of top-down, service-oriented systems. Innovative intersectoral approaches that are based on asset development and entrepreneurism and that embrace the power of peer-driven networks hold promise to effect transformative and meaningful change.

Impacts of morally distressing experiences on the mental health of Canadian health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Research is urgently needed to understand health care workers' (HCWs') experiences of moral-ethical dilemmas encountered throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and their associations with organizational perceptions and personal well-being. This research is important to prevent long-term moral and psychological distress and to ensure that workers can optimally provide health services.

Objective: Evaluate associations between workplace experiences during COVID-19, moral distress, and the psychological well-being of Canadian HCWs.

An App-Based Surveillance System for Undergraduate Students' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency that poses challenges to the mental health of approximately 1.4 million university students in Canada. Preliminary evidence has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental impact on undergraduate student mental health and well-being; however, existing data are predominantly limited to cross-sectional survey-based studies.

Exploring the Well-being of Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Prospective Longitudinal Study.

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) have experienced several stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural stressors, including extended work hours, redeployment, and changes in organizational mandates, often intersect with interpersonal and personal stressors, such as caring for those with COVID-19 infections; worrying about infection of self, family, and loved ones; working despite shortages of personal protective equipment; and encountering various difficult moral-ethical dilemmas.

Objective: The paper describes the protocol for a longitudinal study seeking to capture the unique experiences, challenges, and changes faced by HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A mindfulness group intervention in newly diagnosed persons with multiple sclerosis: A pilot study.

Background: Relapsing MS (RMS) is a lifelong disease without a cure, usually diagnosed between 20-40 years of age. Being newly diagnosed with RMS is a highly stressful event due to the unpredictable disease course after diagnosis. Thus, it is imperative that persons with MS have the skills and support to cope with the negative physical and emotional effects of the disease.

Patterns of Primary Care Use Prior to a First Diagnosis of Nonaffective Psychotic Disorder in Ontario, Canada: Modèles d'utilisation des soins de première ligne avant un premier diagnostic de trouble psychotique non affectif en Ontario, Canada.

Background: Many people experience early signs and symptoms before the onset of psychotic disorder, suggesting that there may be help-seeking prior to first diagnosis. The family physician has been found to play a key role in pathways to care. This study examined patterns of primary care use preceding a first diagnosis of psychotic disorder.

Participatory video as a novel recovery-oriented intervention in early psychosis: A pilot study.

Background: Personal narrative plays an important role in the process of recovery from psychotic illnesses. Participatory video is a novel, active intervention that can be used as a tool for fostering narrative development among people with psychosis.

Aim: To assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential clinical utility of participatory video as an innovative tool for promoting recovery in early psychosis.