Mental Health & Substance Use (MHSU)
Overview
As reported by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in 2021, in any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience mental health concerns or illness. Only 1 out of 5 children who need mental health services receives them.
There have also been specific impacts on addictions and substance misuse. The most visible is the ongoing opioid crisis, particularly in Vancouver where the number of overdose deaths continue to be reported at horrific numbers.
From a 2008 (but still relevant) Canadian Medical Association report, many Canadians (58%) say they would socialize with a friend who has a mental illness. However, when focusing on addictions, the proportion who say they would socialize with a friend who has an alcohol (32%) or drug addiction (26%) is significantly lower. This suggests that the stigma of addictions is significantly greater than that associated with mental illness, which still requires attention.
The Vancouver Division of Family Practice recognizes the importance of supporting patients through mental health, substance misuse and process addictions within primary care.
An important outcome of this work, has been the development of the tiers of service as a working model for clinical Mental Health navigation in Vancouver.
Mental Health Resources
Working with the Committee, the Vancouver Division is prioritizing development of MHSU Resources. Please find the latest Resources in the list below.
Resources coming soon.
- PCN Clinical Counselling
- CBT Skills
- Community Services Navigation – BC211
- After Hours support – Healthlink/811
- Patient Resource to support finding an appropriate Counsellor– Choosing Therapy
- Patient Mental Health Self Management Resource
- Contact your CNM for Choosing Therapy Posters & materials for your clinic
- Child & Youth Mental Health Resource Guide
Substance Use
The white paper is in progress, please check back soon.
To call the 24/7 Addiction Medicine Clinician Support Line and speak to an Addiction Medicine Specialist, call 778-945-7619.
In case you missed our workshop ‘Clinical Management of Alcohol Use Disorder’ with BC Centre on Substance Abuse and Dr. Olivia Brooks, here is a collection of information and resources covering the following topics:
- Overview of the prevalence of alcohol-related harms
- The epidemiology of alcohol use
- A review of the Canadian low-risk drinking guidelines
- Screening and brief interventions
- Withdrawal management
- Relapse prevention
Mental Health & Addictions Committee
To support the Division’s priority, the Mental Health & Addictions Committee was established to improve the delivery of services in Vancouver and growing the capacity of its members in this area of care. The Committee developed a White Paper to support Division advocacy and program development that support family physicians in their practice. Members have told the Vancouver Division* that more than 50% of their panel suffers from mental health and/or addiction conditions. However, appointments related to mental health and addictions take a disproportional amount of time each week.
The Division’s MHA Committee is made up of a dedicated and passionate group of family doctors and who work in tandem with Division staff. To connect with the committee, please reach out to one of the following:
