Life Unscripted - Stories of Mental Health and Addiction

The RAFT started in 1992 as a homeless shelter for young people.  In the last 30 years it has grown into so much more then a shelter. Many of the kids have left school and are estranged from their families. The RAFT teaches them life skills, helps them find housing and work and importantly to rebuild a new relationship with their families. Executive Director Mike Lethby talks about The RAFT. To le...

Animals can be so emotionally healing. Therapeutic dogs visit people in long term care homes and more and more we see people with a service dog that provides emotional support. We’re also learning about the healing affect of horses on people experiencing post traumatic stress.  Horse Sense for Kids in Niagara is a non-profit helping at risk kids who are struggling to to cope with life. The program...

We seem to be seeing more unspeakable violence. It's so hard to understand how someone could perpetrate a mass shooting, a random killing or the murder of a loved one. All too often the go-to explanation is mental illness.  In reality, few violent crimes are perpetrated by someone who is mentally ill.  Janice and Jennifer Fisk talk about the relationship of mental illness and violence.

Every year March 31st marks the International Transgender Day of Visibility.  It's a day to raise awareness of the discrimination transgender men and women face. It's a day to respect a trans person's human rights. For Ally Phillips this is just one day of 365 days a year that  all of us should show our understanding and compassion, and embrace trans men and women who add so much to...

Niagara’s Assertive Street Outreach (NASO) Team actively engages individuals, across Niagara, experiencing unsheltered homelessness to promote, connect, and coordinate access to the range of supports available across Niagara’s Homeless-Serving System, including emergency shelter, housing and support services.

For the past three years I’ve been following the monthly Mental Health Index - which surveys people in the workforce about the state of their mental health.   Paula Allen Senior Vice President of Research and Total Wellness at Telus Health, formerly Life Works, says while anxiety is still high on people’s radar inflation and isolation are the biggest stressors.  She says it’s paramount to get rid...

For Black women hair is intrictly woven into their family and their culture from an early age. In this show you'll hear from an extraordinary 10 year old, Normani Hamilton, who has written a book My Beautiful Hair. Also, Kerry Goring, a hairdresser,  talks about the deep cultural connection and meaning of hair and how it is empowering Black women.

Many of us think about magic mushrooms when we hear the word  psilocyben.  It is the psychedelic in "shrooms" that creates the high or "trip", says Dr. Ishrat Husain at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Dr. Husain and his team are researching the effectiveness of psilocyben to treat people with depression who have not responded to other medication.   Dr. Husain took p...

Several years ago street photograper Diane Conn was out and about and by chance took a photo of a couple holding hands.  She became fascinated by the sense of wellbeing she felt from exerpiencing two people holding hands and continued to take photos of people when she was out with her camera. She took all the photos from behind which allows you to use your imagination about the two people and find...

Intimacy is a challenge that most couples face at some point in their relationship. It's not always about sex. It can be lack of touch or emotional connection. But often people struggling with depression, anxiety and many other mental health issues feel numb and unable to connect at any level. Sensuality coach Kerry Goring has some tips about how to get intimacy back into any  relationships.

I have been honoured to have so many people share their personal stories of mental health and addiction with me on Life Unscripted. Over the past 20 years I've talked openly about my struggles with bipolar 1 disorder. So I was really surprised how nervous I was when I sat on the other side of the mic at 610CKTB to talk to afternoon  host Walter Sendzik.

Stigma is still a reality for many people. I've talked to Jennifer Fisk in the past about how she overcame the stigma  she felt about her rampant anxiety, both with friends and work colleagues. Jennifer thought she had conquered stigma until she moved to new job and it started all over again. It was her dream job and Jennifer went back to hiding her anxiety because she thought poeple would th...

Dying by suicide is the 2nd higest cause of death for kids between the ages of 15 and 19, only slightly behind accidents.  Ryan Andres, who works with at risk children at Pathstone Mental Health, says the number of children thinking about suicide has increased at a much higher rate than deaths. He talks about the signs parents and friends should look for.

Last fall kids were going back to school and emergency rooms were filling up, but not because of COVID. Emergency room nurses were facing a new enslaught of sick children, some seriously, with a resperatory illness.  Nurse Eram Chogala says it's distressing for nurses to see young children struggling to breathe. Wait times can be long and she wants parents know that nurses are commited to get...

Jennifer McCready owns Lady Luck Photography and is a strong advocate for ending stigma for mental illness, as well as body positivity. Jennifer photographs aren't your average portraits. They are unique, colourful and fun and they've helped many women feel positive about themselves and their bodies.  Jennifer is now working on a TV series about body positivity.  At the same time, she ha...

Pathstone Mental Health’s Back-to-School Prep Tips equips students with the tools they need for a successful year. The start of a new school year can be extra tough for kids and with Canadian statistics stating that 1 in every 5 children (expected to increase to 1 in every 4) will experience a mental health struggle as a result of the pressures caused by the pandemic, the need for mental health su...

Megan Glosson is a contributor to The Mighty, an online resource for mental health. In this episode Megan shares tips for people who are lonely during COVID.

Feeling positive about their bodies has always been a struggle for teens.  Many constantly compare themselves to others and never match up. This can lead to mental and physical health issues. Lee-Ann Smith is a social worker at Pathstone Mental Health and a strong proponent of the Body Positivity Movement to help teens and parents learn healthy, nurturing skills to defeat negative thinking.  

2022 brings another startling number of opioid deaths in Canada. Niagara has one of the highest death rates in Ontario. Positive Living Niagara runs a program called Streetworks to connect with people are who are living rough. Talia Storm talks about helping people, including a safe drug supply and noloxone. It’s important to note that opioids are everywhere and addiction and deaths affect people...