time.com Alexandra Sifferlin A new review suggests cannabis may help mental health disorders Legal access to marijuana, medicinal or otherwise, is growing. In 2016, four states approved recreational use of the drug and four states passed laws related to medical-cannabis access, bringing the total number of states that allow some form of legal marijuana use READ MORE
theglobeandmail.com LES PERREAUX AND RENATA D’ALIESIO The mental-health system for treating military personnel and veterans will undergo a sweeping overhaul to better care for them from boot camp through their retirement years, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has revealed. Top-ranking officials in Defence and Veterans Affairs are looking at “creating a new structure that’s going to READ MORE
www.cbc.ca More than 230 Canadians a day are victims of family violence that are reported to police, Canada’s chief public health officer says in releasing a new report on a seldom discussed issue. Dr. Gregory Taylor’s 2016 report on the state of public health focuses on family violence, including sexual, emotional and financial abuse, as well as READ MORE
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ By MIA DE GRAAF Stony Brook runs 2nd largest center for 9/11 responders in the US The center has monitored more than 800 of the 33,000 rescue workers They found a direct link between their PTSD and early brain degeneration Those who most frequently relived the events had worse symptoms An unprecented study has READ MORE
http://news.yale.edu/ At least one in five U.S. military veterans who have experienced trauma are at greatly elevated risk for depression, suicide, or substance abuse even though they do not meet all criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new Yale-led study. The study of 1,484 U.S. veterans, published June 1 in the journal READ MORE
http://www.simcoe.com/ By Janis Ramsay Today is an important day for paramedic Natalie Harris. The Barrie resident lives with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is celebrating the province’s passing of the Supporting Ontario’s First Responders Act, which allows faster access to benefits and treatment through Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). “The first responder family is READ MORE
http://www.cbc.ca/ Adam Cyr was injured in Afghanistan Adam Cyr was on his final infantry patrol in Afghanistan when his unit sustained enemy artillery fire. “We were going home the next day,” the two-sport athlete recalled. “We got knocked around pretty good,” said Cyr, who is ready to compete for Canada in archery and rowing at the 2016 READ MORE
http://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/ ATLANTA, Georgia – Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is unique among stress-related psychiatric illness in that exposure to a traumatic event is a required component of the diagnosis. Symptoms of PTSD include negative alterations in cognition and mood, hyperarousal, avoidance behavior, and re-experiencing of trauma. Furthermore, a significant minority of individuals who are exposed to READ MORE
http://ottawacitizen.com/ Marie-Julie Cosenzo is daunted by the thought of crossing the bridge into Gatineau. “Just going to Hull even is very difficult for me. It just brings back too much pain,” Cosenzo said. Cosenzo, who lives in Ottawa and has been a paramedic with the Coopérative des Paramédics de l’Outaouais for almost nine years, hasn’t been READ MORE
www.cbc.ca By Chantal Da Silva, CBC News New training program teaches first responders how to spot early warning signs of PTSD Firefighters in Mississauga are the first in the province to benefit from a new program that aims to help first responders cope with the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder. The Road to Mental Readiness READ MORE
