Life Unscripted - Stories of Mental Health and Addiction

Human and sex traffickers will often bring their victims, mostly women, to Canada from the U.S. at border  crossings like Niagara. Niagara has become the epicentre for trafficking. But Canadian women, the vulnerable and children are also targetted.  YWCA Niagara has a program, including a safe house, to help get people away and safe from their captors. Kayla Mayer manages the program.

Kelly-Anne Appleton was just 10 years old when her Roman Catholic parish priest began sexually abusing her. The priest started grooming her by making her feel special, inviting her fold flyers and giving her candy. It progressed to sexual abuse and for two years Kelly-Anne kept visiting him. For years she believed it was her fault because priests were thought to be above reproach and even next to...

Calming your brain can be as easy as taking five deep breaths when you wake up, at mid-day and before you go to sleep and anytime you're feeling frazzled.  Author Darcy Patrick says falling in love with your breath will help you deal with stress and anxiety.  And guess what - there's no right way to be mindful. Practicing mindfullness can simply be whatever works for you to take you away...

There are a lot of reasons kids get angry. Sometimes frustration boils over, sometimes it's the stress of being a teenager or it may be conflict at home. For some children the anger becomes ingrained and they can't control it.  They need some time away in a safe place to learn how to diffuse the feelings.  Rotary House has a 12 week live-in program where kids continue to go to school but...

Our children have lived through unprecendented stress during two years of the coronovirus pandemic. What a relief for many now schools are open, no more masks and the future looks normal.  Now they've hit with the war in the Ukraine and kids of all ages are afraid there will be a  World War. Therapist Angel Graham from Pathstone Mental Health works with children and says, while kids are resil...

Many people celebrated the end of the lockdown.  Shopping with no mask. Going out for dinner with no proof of vaccination.  But for people with severed anxiety and panic attacks the world opening up was scary. Secretly, they didn't really want to leave their home but felt foolish telling anyone. Jennifer Fisk and Janice Arnoldi talk about how they are adjusting to life on the outside. Jennife...

Jacob Borisenko died last June after taking anti-anxiety pills he bought off the street which his dad Steve believes were contaminated with fentynal. Steve Borisenko is with me today to talk about his son’s death and the advocacy work he’s doing in the hopes that no one else will have to die. We’re starting to see the final numbers for opioid overdoses and deaths in Niagara in 2021. More people we...

 Autism service dogs play a special role in helping children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  They provide safety, constant friendship and help with behavioural issues.  Allison Savard, Director of Client Services at Autism Dog Services, says safety is often the main reason a family gets a service dog.  Kids with autism can suddenly bolt and not stop when called. The service dog is...

Andrew Dodge was only 38 years old when he was diagnosed with a rare type of brain cancer in 2019.  The cancer is terminal.  The average life span is 14 years. Anyone who meets Andrew will see that part of his skull was removed during surgery to remove the turmor. He doesn't hide it under a hat.  It's important to Andrew that other young people living with cancer know that it doesn'...

In 2017, Fabiola Philippe lost her life after years of battling mental illness and addiction. Fabiola was a mother, a sister, a daughter, and a friend. She was also Black and through the tragedy Fabiola's family realized that help for mental health and addiction just wasn't equal for people in the Black community. In 2018, Fabiola's sister Marie Philippe Remy and her daughter Lydia...

 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is misunderstood and tricky to diagnose.  Children with ADHD are often thought to be rowdy or undisciplined because they can’t stay still. They may seem unmotivated and lacking willpower. It's easy to think your child just doesn't want to do something as simple as cleaning their room. ADHD is a spectrum. Some kids have difficulty concentrating wh...

Customers in restaurants expect the people who work there to always have a smile on their face and be respectful to their needs. Yet, too often customers don't give the same kindness and respect  back.  Chef Adam Hyndman-Smith, who owns Dispatch Restauraunt in St. Catharines, says the food services industry has to change and start protecting their employees. Adam says those smiling faces are...

One in 66 children and youth in Canada is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder according to the latest study in done in 2018.  Autism affects the way a person interacts with the world around them. Engaging in relationships or being able to socialize is often difficult. Chrissy Sadowski's 11 year old son Darius  is non-verbal autistic. He doesn't speak or understand simple tasks.  Chri...

Day in and day out Nurse Eram Chhogala, who is a trauma and ER nurse in Toronto, treats people with COVID -19 who come into the emergency struggling to breathe. Too many times she has moved patients to intensive care where they are often put on life support and in some cases die. Then Eram experienced an unimaginable personal tragedy when her dad came into emergency at the hospital where she worke...

Anyone who knows me knows that I love horses.  I believe everyone who is living with a mental health issues or addiction should own or have access to a pet.  It helps with lonliness and also means being responsible for another living being.  Not everyone can own a horse but some therapists are adding Equine therapy to their traditional in- office approach. Firefighter Rob Leathen, who I've in...

Canadians are feeling more depressed, increased anxiety and feelings of isolation. It's hard to feel optimistic, especially now that we're in the midst of the Omicron varient, throwing everything up in the air again. The international HR firm Life Works has been tracking Canadian's mental health since the beginning of the pandemic and it releases a monthly Mental Health Index.  Paul...

When we look at opioid overdoses we tend to focus on the number of deaths, most often the result of fentanyl in the drug. There is no doubt that these tragic deaths are increasing. But there are many more people who are taken to hospital emergency rooms or treated where they are. Marty Mako from Niagara Emergency Medical Services talks about everything from medical intervention to noloxone to avai...

A half a million people in Canada live with some form of dementia. One in five Canadians have some experience caring for their loved one. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's Disease.  It steals the memories of the person living with it until they don't even recognize their family. Families watch as their loved one disappears. Cassandra Best helps care for her mom who is livin...

#ProjectPlaid launched in 2019 after the tragic loss of Amelia Durocher to suicide. Amelia loved to wear plaid and taking quick action with a resolve to not let this happen to other kids and families, her mom Shanta created #ProjectPlaid. It not only helped her cope, it quickly became a connection for those who were struggling and it’s now a mental health movement. November is plaid month and Shan...

Children grieve in different ways than adults, but even infants grieve. Kids are often too young to understand euphimisms like "loss".  Children's grief therapist Angel Graham says it may seem harsh but adults need to be direct and use real words like "died" so a child understands that death is permanent. November18 is Children's Grief Awareness Day.

Managers and supervisors are going to have to re-think the way they interact with their teams.  There has been a lot of information about how people will work – fully remote, hybrid or full time back in the office, shift work, retail or any other job.  Life has been very fluid with work tied to COVID 19 restrictions and re-openings. The uncertainty has put an immense amount of strain on peoples’ m...

There are different techniques and tools to help people recognize and deal with different mental illness disorders.  Probably the best know are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.  ACT is ofen used to treat anxiety.  Psychologist Steve Abma talks about how accepting situations that make you anxious can be the key to stopping it.

There is so much stigma and shame attached to postpartum depression many women  don't get help.  It is a big, horrible secret they may even keep even from their husbands.  It can be hard to understand how a mother wouldn't love her child  from the moment they're  born. But as many as 1./4 of women suffer with postpartum depression. When Jessica Gale Friesen had her first baby she th...

Wellness Walls are going up in every school across Niagara to provide a safe space for kids to talk, take-action and support fellow students about their mental health.  Students from JK to grade 12 can put an anonymous message about how they're feeling on a post-it note on the Wall.  Other kids are encouraged to post notes of support - some from kids who have had the same experience and share...