COVID-19 pandemic

Dear EENet Connect members:

Dr. Nigel Turner at CAMH is conducting a short survey aimed towards clinicians who help people with addictions and mental health problems. We had originally offered this survey to problem gambling treatment professionals, but we have now expanded it to any one helping problem with addictions or mental health problems.

The purpose of the research is to better understand:

Check out this new Research Snapshot!

The mental well-being and coping strategies of Canadian adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

Here is a sneak peek:

The Dementia Isolation Toolkit was developed to support residents of long-term care during periods of isolation, as well as to address moral distress in long-term care home staff.  In this presentation, we will speak about how this tool has been used during the pandemic, barriers and facilitators to its use, and some preliminary research on its impact.

Alcohol consumption, ensuing harms, and treatments for harmful alcohol use have all changed during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of government-enforced shutdowns and policies to encourage social distancing.

On March 10th, a webinar was co-hosted by Evidence Exchange Network (EENet), within the Provincial Support Program at CAMH, and by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), wherein a a panel of experts presented emerging research on these significant changes.

Created in 2013, MINDFEST is a mental health fair that raises awareness about mental health and battles stigma by encouraging discussions about mental illness.

MINDFEST IS A FREE EVENT

COVID-19 has disrupted all domains of health care in Canada. Tragic increases in opioid overdose and reports of mental illness have been met with strengthened efforts to understand and address impacts of the pandemic on our mental health.

Two years into the pandemic, research has revealed important findings about COVID-19, mental health and addiction, and it’s not all bad news. Data shows both troubling trends and patterns of resilience among Canadians.

Alcohol consumption, ensuing harms, and treatments for harmful alcohol use have all changed during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of government-enforced shutdowns and policies to encourage social distancing.

Join our panel of experts to learn about emerging research on these significant changes. Presentations will be followed by a Q&A period.

REGISTER HERE

Presenters:

There is evidence that people with mental health disorders tend to have poor outcomes when they have coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A preliminary meta-analysis showed that people with mental health disorders were at higher risk of dying from COVID-19, but the meta-analysis had methodological issues.

An international team of researchers conducted a systematic review to determine if people with mental illness were at increased risk of dying from COVID-19 compared to people without mental illness.

In a recent article in Frontiers in Psychiatry, a group of researchers from Poland and the UK suggest that there are three groups at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to the current COVID-19 pandemic:

Public Health Ontario Rounds
Opioid-related Toxicity Deaths and Health Services Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tuesday, January 18, 2022
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. ET

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ph...tickets-243177690017

Presented by:
Dr. Tara Gomes
Dr. Gillian Kolla
Jes Besharah

Has COVID-19 effected a youth’s gambling behavior? Are youth using video games differently during the pandemic? Given current restrictions how does a program effectively discuss gambling awareness with youth?

2SLGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented among the homeless youth population and experience significantly higher rates of mental health issues compared to heterosexual and cisgender youth. This study aimed to understand the specific challenges, coping strategies, and mental health responses during the COVID-19 pandemic among 2SLGBTQ+ youth at risk of, and experiencing, homelessness in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding areas.

Additional information on submission of abstracts to the event will be provided in 2022. 

What is this research about?

2SLGBTQ+ youth experience significantly higher rates of mental health issues compared to heterosexual and cisgender youth, due to stigma, discrimination and identity-based rejection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 2SLGBTQ+ youth are experiencing these stressors in increased and new ways, which are seeming to have devastating effects for this population. For example, due to a lack of alternative housing options heightened by the pandemic, some youth have been forced to isolate at home with unsupportive and abusive family members.

Grieving and gratitude: The impact of COVID-19 on youth webinar

Presented by SickKids CCMH Learning Institute

Live webinar December 13, 2021 | Time: Noon to 1:30 p.m. EST

Facilitator: Marshall Korenblum, MD, FRCP (C), Dip. Child Psych.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard on marginalized groups, such as people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) like Down syndrome or autism.

For people with IDDs, stressors include the abrupt stop to daily routines and regular contact with friends and family, restricted availability of health services and paid support, and financial difficulties. These stressors are compounded by the challenges people with IDDs face in understanding infection risks and public health restrictions.