DCO Discourse...

Homelessness describes the situation of an individual or family without stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it. It is the result of system or social barriers, a lack of affordable or appropriate housing, the individual’s/household’s financial, mental, cognitive, behavioural or physical challenges, and/or racism and discrimination. Most...

Aboriginal people have a long and proud history that includes rich cultural and spiritual traditions. Many of these traditions, however, were altered or even taken away upon the arrival of European settlers. The forced introduction of European culture and values to Aboriginal societies, the dispossession of Aboriginal lands, and the imposition of alien modes of governance began a cycle of social,...

In this podcast, hoarding or collecting refers to a specific behaviour that can have a severe impact on a person’s life. Hoarded items can fill a person's home, and can cause severe problems with day-to-day activities and relationships, and even pose a danger to life through being a fire and safety hazard. Hoarders or collectors are motivated by an intense emotional attachment to objects that othe...

According to statistics from the Canadian Mental Health Association, 1 in 5 Canadians will personally experience a mental health problem or illness, with those in their early working years being most affected. The remaining 4, will have a friend, family member or colleague who will. In terms of mental health stresses, 1 in every 2 people will experience a mental health difficulty at some time in t...

While anxiety is considered a natural reaction to a stressful situation, for some people, anxious thoughts, feelings, or physical symptoms can become severe and upsetting, often interfering with their ability to go about their daily lives. Where symptoms of anxiety occur frequently, occur over a period of time, and chronically interfere with daily life, it is typically considered an anxiety disord...

DCO Conference 2019 Talk - Loneliness

Stress is your body’s response to changes in your life. Because life involves constant change (ranging from changing locations from home to work each morning to adapting to major life changes like marriage, divorce, or death of a loved one), there is no avoiding stress. This is why our goal isn’t to eliminate all stress, but to eliminate unnecessary stress, and effectively manage the rest. When we...

“Make your choice, adventurous Stranger, Strike the bell and bide the danger, Or wonder, till it drives you mad, What would have followed if you had.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew Motivational speaker, Nina Spencer discusses how to find the passion in what you do. This podcast was recorded live at the DCO conference 2019. If you enjoyed this podcast please contact DCO membership at info@dco...

Our second part/episode on this topic looks at the family impact of problem Gambling. Family members and friends may struggle with questions such as: Why did they lie to me? How come they didn’t talk to me? Why are they never home? Why don’t they just stop? How could they do this to themselves, and to us? How are we going to manage financially? Who is going to take care of us? They may also experi...

It doesn’t take a lot of work to find that there are places all around us where people have the opportunity to participate in gambling activities. The gambling industry is like most other businesses. It provides a service (places to gamble) and hopes to make as much money as it possibly can. Gambling is one of the largest entertainment industries in Canada. It brings in more money than television...

They can feel marginalized; feel trapped in their homes, avoid social contacts and miss opportunities to find work because of the everyday prejudices which create a host of obstacles for those trying to recover from drug addictions. Offers of work or housing are commonly withdrawn when it becomes known that the recipient has had a serious drug problem, even if they have stopped using. Yet employme...

For centuries, opiates have been used both recreationally and medicinally. While recreational use is now outlawed in most countries, their medical use as a painkiller is widespread. Opiate addiction and / or dependency, an ever increasing worldwide health problem, is greatly impacting lives. There are economic, personal and public health consequences to drug addiction that transcend gender, socio-...

In this episode of the DCO podcast we talk to Andrea about her struggle with addiction.

The nature of the work that is carried out at crisis/distress lines makes us all vulnerable to feeling the stressors that affect our everyday lives. Our personal situations and stressors can also have an impact on how we react to the work we do, and at times, we need to evaluate why we sometimes feel it becomes too much. In the very insightful presentation by Yvette Perreault, director of the AIDS...

Statistics indicate that approximately 1% to 4.2% of women have suffered from anorexia in their lifetime, and eating disorders have the highest fatality rate of any mental illness. Eating disorders may or may not be the first reason a crisis/distress line caller is reaching out, but eating disordered behaviours might be disclosed as a significant part of the problem. Callers may express their chal...

In Canada, our system of care for concurrent disorders is fragmented and compartmentalized—with varying treatment approaches and programs developed on a model that treats either the addiction or mental health issue exclusively as the primary focus—creating a system that is not well equipped to treat both disorders concurrently and results in poor client outcomes and system inefficiency. When field...

There are many reasons to become aware of the impact of Concurrent Disorders. Many do not understand that substance use can trigger or worsen mental health problems; and in some cases, may mask an undiagnosed mental illness that already exists. Conversely, mental health issues such as depression, anxiety or psychotic symptoms can lead one to use substances, which can progress into a development of...

How extensive are addictive behaviours? Stats Canada (2003) found that addiction affects men and woman of all ages but that men are affected at a rate of 2-3 times higher than women. The highest use was found to be in people aged 15 to 24. Researchers found that 2.6 percent of Canadians were dependent on alcohol and fewer than 1 percent were dependent on illegal drugs (Addiction An Information Gui...

The content of every call to a crisis or distress line is recorded by the call responder. It is important that that the information recorded is done in a manner that is easily understood by the centre’s supervisor as well as other responders who may be receiving similar calls or who may want to learn from them. It is equally important to realize that reports can be subpoenaed by outside profession...

There are a number of types of Dementia which can be classified differently based on observed problems, such as memory, language, thinking, social behaviour, emotional state, and physical movement. Most individuals exhibit progressive loss over time which results from a degenerative disease process such as Alzheimer’s, while some types of brain injury (e.g., due to trauma or stroke) may result in...

Why is this a problem? Taking care of a senior can be difficult when he or she has many different needs, and it can be difficult to be elderly when age brings with it infirmities and dependence. Both the demands of caregiving and the needs of the elder can create situations in which abuse is more likely to occur. Researchers generally agree that the state of knowledge regarding elder abuse is abou...

PART 2 for PART 1 see A Family’s Response to Suicide – Knapp Family Sisters ( https://distressandcrisisontario.fireside.fm/15 ) Sisters Melanie & Marsha Knapp Losing a loved one is never easy. Losing a loved one is even more traumatic when it is unexpected; when it is by suicide. It seems there are many professionals, along with distress/crisis line volunteers who struggle with how to support...

Marsha and Melanie Knapp are very forthcoming with their emotions about bother Nick`s suicide and how they have tried to move forward to honour his life and advocate for seamless services for other suicide survivors. View A Family’s Response to Suicide – The Knapp Family PART 2 the conclusion of this topic series ( https://distressandcrisisontario.fireside.fm/16 )

Mood disorders which include major depression, bipolar disorder and dysthymia can affect individuals of all ages. The Canadian Public Health Agency reports approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives and approximately 1% will experience bipolar disorder. Studies have consistently documented higher rates of depression among women than men at a ratio of 2:...

Individuals working with women who are in abusive relationships will sometimes ask themselves why she does not leave. By asking the question in this manner, we are essentially blaming the woman which can negatively impact the support we intend to provide, therefore it is more helpful to reframe the question and ask what is preventing her from leaving. There are many barriers she faces and there ar...