Addictions refers to problems using drugs, alcohol, or other problem behaviours such as gambling or sex addiction. Gambling involves risking any money, credit or other item of value in the hope of winning a prize. Gambling can be addictive and can cause severe financial, emotional, relationship and other problems.

Assessment and Referral Services are a good place to get started when looking for help for an addiction problem. It usually involves seeing an addictions professoinal for one or two sessions (each about one or two hours). The service can help you decide whether or not you need treatment, as well as where to go for treatment.

Information and Referral Services are somewhat similar to Assessment Services in that they help people find help. Unlike Assessment Services though, where you generally have to go see someone in person, Information and Referral services generally provide information by a telephone call or website.

Self-help or mutual support services (such as alcoholics anonymous) are regular meetings with people who have alcohol or drug problems who help and support one another.

These are services that offer treatment for an addiction.

Outpatient or "live-at-home" services where you go to a service during the daytime (or evening) but you otherwise continue to stay and sleep at home.

Inpatient or "live-in" services are where you have a place to stay that is alcohol/drug free, while receiving treatment.

This section has addictions resources that do not fall under any other headings.

Basic Needs resources are resources such as food, housing (including shelters), transportation and temporary financial assistance.

The child welfare / child protection system is a group of services that promote the well-being of children by protecting children from abuse or neglect, ensuring they are safe, and strengthening families so that they can successfully care for their children.

This section has resources about finances, money, grants, subsidies and other related information. This is not an exhaustive list of resources and services, but highlights those which might be of interest to individuals with mental health issues.

This section has programs that provide food or low cost food to those in need.

There are various shelters that people can use when they have no place to go.

Emergency shelters are places for people to live temporarily when they don't have a place to stay. Emergency shelters (such as women's shelters) are primarily meant for those fleeing an abusive relationship, sexual abuse or domestic violence. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

Homeless shelters are temporary places to stay, usually meant for homeless people. Usually located in downtown areas, they are similar to emergency shelters. The main difference is that homeless shelters are usually open to anyone, without regard to the reason for need. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

Women's shelters are places where women (and their children) can go to stay, and are typically for women fleeing domestic violence from their partners or spouses. Women's shelters offer safe, temporary housing and usually other services to enable a return to independent living such as counselling and referrals to community resources.

A group home is usually a single-family dwelling for special populations that need a supervised living environment. Common examples include children and youth in care, individuals with developmental or physical disabilities, individuals recovering from substance abuse, teenaged mothers, or victims of domestic violence.

Counselling and therapy can be helpful for dealing with a wide variety of issues (e.g. stress and coping, relationship problems) and mental health conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety, etc.)

This is a list of agencies and organizations that offer counselling and/or therapy services.

Here is a listing of places which provide a mixture of Counseling and Therapy in general, as opposed to focusing on just one particular type of specific therapy or counselling.

In practice, many mental health providers (such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and therapists/counselors) have training in different therapies so when they are helping others, they are using a mixture of techniques from different styles, as opposed to just one type of therapy.

Animal-assisted and pet therapy are types of therapy that use animals trained to provide affection and comfort to people in a variety of places including hospitals, retirement or nursing homes, mental health facilities and schools.

Art therapy is a way of helping people through art, and is provided by accredited art therapists. Painting, drawing and sculpting are common ways that help people to express themselves and heal. Unlike traditional art, the focus is on the process of creating the artwork rather than the final product.

Coaching is the process whereby a coach teaches and directs another person via encouragement and advice. The coach provides an individual with feedback, insight and guidance on achieving their full potential in their business or personal life. Coaches usually first help by defining goals, and then supports the client in working out a strategy to reach those goals, and helps the client stay on track.

Compared to counselling, coaching generally has a narrower focus; focuses on performance rather than underlying root causes; tends to be shorter-term; does not seek to improve underlying psychological problems; focuses on improvement on function in already well-functioning individuals.

Coaching is generally more suitable for individuals who are well-functioning to begin with, whereas counselling/therapy would be recommended for individuals who are more distressed.

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is an effective type of therapy for numerous conditions such as depression and anxiety. CBT helps individuals by looking at negative thoughts and behaviour patterns, and changing those into more helpful coping thoughts and behaviours. CBT can be delivered by any health professional who has had adequate training in CBT, which in practice usually refers to psychologists, psychiatrists as well as some physicians and social workers.

Drama therapy (or the related term psychodrama) is a way of helping others by using drama or theater processes, and is given by an accredited drama therapist.

Drama gives participants an opportunity to tell their stories, set goals, solve problems, express feelings, resulting in behaviour change, skill-building and emotional growth.

eTherapy refers to therapy delivered online, through the internet.  It includes websites that provide online therapy as well as communicating with a therapist using email, or online chat sessions.  

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment reported as being helpful in various conditions such as anxiety, and trauma (such as post-traumatic stress disorder).

A marriage, couple and family therapist specializes in helping concerns and problems in couple or family relationships.

Marriage, couple and family therapy can be given by any professional that has sufficient training, which usually tends to be social workers, psychologists or psychiatrists.

Unlike traditional therapy where the therapist just meets with the individual, family counselling and therapy is where the therapist meets with the individual and one or more more family members. The idea is that no matter what the difficulty is, others in the family are part of the solution and thus need to be involved in the therapy or treatment.

Hypnotherapy, which uses hypnosis to create a state of relaxation, which can thus be helpful in a variety of conditions, such as anxiety conditions (e.g. phobias).

Music therapy is the use of music by an accredited music therapist to promote, maintain, and restore mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Play therapy uses play to communicate with and help children. Play therapy is useful for children because they naturally express themselves for play, and because they may not be able to express themselves verbally (using their words) as would be required for other types of therapy such as "talk therapies." Play therapy can be delivered by any mental health professional that has received sufficient training in it.

In Canada, it is preferable (though not always possible) to have a professional who has official training approved by the Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy.

Solution-focused therapy (SFT) focuses on empowering individuals to find solutions in their life by figuring out what a person's goals are, and supporting them to find ways to achieve those goals. Various types of professionals may have training in SFT, and may work in counselling agencies, or in private practice.

Supportive counselling/therapy uses a person's strengths and social supports to help them focus on coping with current, issues. The focus is on the present, as opposed to the past.

Most mental health professionals are trained in this approach.

Refers to all programs that provide immediate assistance for people who are currently experiencing severe emotional distress; for any situation that is life-threatening, or poses harm to someone; or unable to cope with a problem that demands immediate attention. Crisis services help deal with the immediate crisis, and restore people back to their original (higher) level of function so that they can identify and deal with their problems.

Crisis lines offer free, immediate and confidential one-on-one assistance to callers in need and usually operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are generally staffed by either paid professionals, or trained volunteers. They will listen, offer support and advice, and if necessary, will try to help the caller get connected to help in his/her community.

There are various shelters that people can use when they have no place to go.

Emergency shelters are places for people to live temporarily when they don't have a place to stay. Emergency shelters (such as women's shelters) are primarily meant for those fleeing an abusive relationship, sexual abuse or domestic violence. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

Homeless shelters are temporary places to stay, usually meant for homeless people. Usually located in downtown areas, they are similar to emergency shelters. The main difference is that homeless shelters are usually open to anyone, without regard to the reason for need. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

Most hospitals have an Emergency Department that can help people going through mental health crises such as: 

• Thoughts of suicide or homicide (thoughts of seriously harming oneself or others)
• Conditions such as psychosis, mania or bipolar

Alternative schools are for students whose needs are not met by mainstream schools, which may occur for any variety of reasons, including students who have children, part-time jobs, or who simply have a different learning style that doesn't fit with a mainstream school. In general, alternative schools offer smaller classes, with more of an opportunity for one-on-one interaction with teachers.

In Ontario, students work on one course at a time, and can complete six or more courses in an academic year. Each classroom has 21 students who all work on individual courses, at their own pace. Contact your local school board for more information.

This describes other school/educational resources that don't cleanly fit into other categories.

Employment services refers to programs designed to help individuals find and keep a job. This is not an exhaustive list of resources and services, but highlights those which might be of interest to individuals with mental health issues.

There are various government agencies and organizations involved in mental health funding and services for children, youth and adults. This section also includes non-governmental organizations involved in mental health.

Most hospitals have mental health services which may include Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers and other professionals. Programs offered typically include:

• Outpatient programs, where one comes to the hospital for mental health services;
• Day treatment, or partial hospitalization programs, where a person comes for treatment for longer periods or more frequently, for more intensive therapy than one would receive from simply seeing an outpatient therapist or clinician;
• Inpatient programs, where a person is admitted to hospital in order to provide a high level of supervision and care until the condition improves enough so that the person can be treated as an outpatient.
  

Information Services are listings of mental health and related services and resources. These might be available as a paper hard copy, or available as an online directories that can be viewed on their websites.

Referral Services refers to services whereby individuals can call and speak to someone to find out where to go for specific issues and problems.

This section has various legal resources including legal aid, and forensic resources. Forensic resources refers to resources for individuals with mental health problems who have had troubles with the law. This is not an exhaustive list of resources and services, but highlights those which might be of interest to individuals with mental health issues.

Mental health facilities refers to the different settings where mental health care is offered, such as inpatients, outpatients and residential treatment.

Inpatient mental health services are mental health services provided when a person is admitted to a hospital and stays in the hospital for at least 24-hrs. Inpatient services can be helpful in certain types of emergencies situations, or when less intensive services (such as outpatient treatments) have not been successful.

Outpatient Mental Health Services is where a person receives services by going to an office or clinic, without having to stay overnight in a hospital. Services can be "hospital-based", and delivered through a hospital, or they may be "community-based" and delivered outside of a hospital.

This is a list of agencies and organizations that offer counselling and/or therapy services.

Assertive Community Treatment is a client-centered, recovery-oriented mental health service delivered by multidisciplinary treatment teams, designed to provide comprehensive, community-based psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation, and support to persons with serious and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia.

ACT Team programs are for people who have not benefitted from traditional outpatient programs.

Because one of the main goals is to help keep people living in their homes in the community (rather than in hospital), ACT programs are usually reserved for people who have had excessive, prolonged stays in hospitals.

Mental illness can make it hard for people to work. Clubhouses provide a safe environment where individuals coping with mental illness can find meaningful work as well as an opportunity to make friends and socialize with others.

Community health and resource centres provide a variety of health services to local residents, which often includes mental health services. Services provided by each health centre vary, depending on local community needs. Contact your local community health centre to find out about any counselling, groups or other mental health programs they might have.

Day Treatment refers to an intensive type of outpatient services that is more intensive than standard outpatient services (e.g. seeing someone once every 1-2 weeks) but yet is not as intensive as an inpatient stay.

For children and youth, day treatment programs may occur at therapeutic school programs, or take place at hospitals. For adults, day treatment programs are commonly offered at hospitals.

Drop-in centres are a place to go during the daytime and/or evenings, providing companionship and activities to do.

This section has Community Mental Health Services that do not specifically fit into any of the other more specialized categories.

Refers to supports and services provided in the person's home.

Most hospitals have mental health services which may include Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers and other professionals. Programs offered typically include:

• Outpatient programs, where one comes to the hospital for mental health services;
• Day treatment, or partial hospitalization programs, where a person comes for treatment for longer periods or more frequently, for more intensive therapy than one would receive from simply seeing an outpatient therapist or clinician;
• Inpatient programs, where a person is admitted to hospital in order to provide a high level of supervision and care until the condition improves enough so that the person can be treated as an outpatient.
  

Case management is where a case manager meets with the client (an individual or a family) in order to find out what services are needed. Then, the case manager helps arranges for those services and supports in the community. Service coordination refers to the fact that the different services are coordinated in an efficient way to best help the person.

Residential treatment (which includes group homes) refers to programs where individuals live in a therapeutic environment in the community (i.e. not in a hospital), receiving a structured, supervised treatment program. Residential treatment provides 24-hr care with counselling, therapy and trained staff, and is recommended when other, less intense treatments are not possible, or when they have not been effective. Residential treatment works best when family members are involved as well.

Child and Youth Counsellors (CYCs) perform various services to help children, adolescents, and young adults, which include: assessing maladaptive behaviour patterns and socio-emotional functioning in children, adolescents, and young adults; helping with the prevention and treatment of conditions in the individual, family, and community, in order to develop, maintain, and promote emotional, social, behavioural, and interpersonal wellbeing within the context of daily living. (adapted from the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Counselors).

They may work in private practice, or with an organization such as a hospital, school, or community agency.

Counselors are professionals that help by providing 'counselling', which means giving advice, support or direction for individuals to cope with their difficulties, or reach their goals.

Family physicians and pediatricians provide a great deal of mental health services for their patients, in addition to standard medical care. In cases where a patient requires more specialized care, a family physician or pediatrician can give advice on where to go for additional help and support.

A marriage, couple and family therapist specializes in helping concerns and problems in couple or family relationships.

Marriage, couple and family therapy can be given by any professional that has sufficient training, which usually tends to be social workers, psychologists or psychiatrists.

Unlike traditional therapy where the therapist just meets with the individual, family counselling and therapy is where the therapist meets with the individual and one or more more family members. The idea is that no matter what the difficulty is, others in the family are part of the solution and thus need to be involved in the therapy or treatment.

Occupational therapists (OT) help people function in school or work through learning skills, or by adapting their work or school environment. OTs can assist with mental health by teaching sensory processing and self-regulation strategies; help with fine and gross motor.

OTs usually work with organizations such as schools or through the school board, and some also work in private practices.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have received specialized training in diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions. They are trained to provide psychotherapy as well as prescribe medications.

Psychiatrists work with hospitals and other agencies. Many also work independently on their own in "private practice." Because physicians are funded by government health programs, one does not need to pay any fees, even for those in private practice.

If you are thinking about seeing a psychiatrist, you should first speak to your (family) doctor to ask about whether seeing a psychiatrist would be helpful. Seeing a psychiatrist requires a referral from a physician.

Psychologists and psychological associates help people solve problems with mood, behaviour or relationships. They perform assessment of, and provide diagnoses and treatment of mental health difficulties for children, adults, couples, and families who present with cognitive, emotional and behavioural challenges. They also perform psychoeducational testing for individuals with learning difficulties. They may use therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), behavioural therapies.

They may work as part of an agency, or in "private practice" (which means they will require payment from the client, or the client's private or work insurance).

Social workers help people to deal with problems in their personal, family or work life. They help by providing counselling or therapy, or by helping people find necessary resources. Social workers can work in many settings, including family services agencies, children's aid agencies, hospitals, and schools. Many social workers also work in private practice.

Speech and language pathologists (SLP) are professionals who work with individuals having specific specific needs with speech and language, and may also help with feeding and swallowing issues.

This section has mental health resources for specific populations, grouped by age, gender, etc. 

Child and youth service organizations provide various services and activities for children and youth. (Agencies that are focused on providing counselling/therapy for children and youth are not listed in this section.)

Services for children under the age of six years old, i.e. infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

This section has resources specifically for children (ages 6-12) and youth/adolescents (12-18).

This section has resources to help anyone with parenting -- all the tasks involved in raising a child to become an independent adult. This section is not exhaustive, but focuses on resources that might be of interest to those with mental health difficulties.

Men have unique mental and physical health needs. Men looking for mental health services should consult the other mental health sections and in addition, this section lists resources that may be of particular interest to men (and males of all ages).

This section has mental health resources that may be specifically of interest for women.

This refers to mental health resources specifically for older adults (age 55 and above) as well as geriatric adults (age 65 and above).

This section has mental health resources of general interest to those aged 55 and older.

Long-term care facilities and homes (aka. "nursing home") are for people who require the availability of 24-hour nursing care and supervision within a secure setting. They provide a higher level of care and support than retirement homes or supportive housing. Long-term care homes are owned and operated by various organizations: 1) Nursing homes are usually operated by private corporations; 2) Municipal homes for the aged are owned by municipal councils. Many municipalities are required to build a home for the aged in their area, either on their own or in partnership with a neighbouring municipality; 3) Charitable homes are usually owned by non-profit corporations, such as faith, community, ethnic or cultural groups.

Sometimes one is required to provide a medical certificate in order to drive.

Occupational therapists can provide detailed assessments of driving ability at one of the following agencies listed below.

This section lists mental resources for the lesbigay and transgendered community, as well as resources for any individuals seeking help with sexuality issues.

These section has mental health resources for First Nations (aboriginal and native Canadians).

Multicultural services refers to resources for individuals of various languages and cultures.

These are resources specifically of interest to (mental) health service providers.

Developmental delay is where a child has slowed or impaired development. Developmental disability where the developmental delay results in problems with intellectual or adaptive function. Many different conditions can cause developmental delay or disability. The term Intellectual Delay/Disability is often used with the same meaning.

This section has resources that may be of particular interest to families where one or more family members serves in the military. Members of the military have to deal with very specific issues that others do not, such as: preparing for deployment; dealing with loved ones being away on deployment, as well as their eventual return; stress from frequent moves; the very real risk of losing a loved one in the line of duty. And in addition to that, military families must also cope with all the usual stresses that any other families face.

This section has mental health resources for specific issues (such as depression, anxiety, etc.) or issues (such as separation/divorce, relationships, etc).

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a serious medical condition defined as having an infection from the HIV virus as well as problems with one's immune system as a result.

We all get angry from time to time. Indeed, anger is helpful because if deal with it in a healthy way, it helps us realize that something may be wrong and that perhaps something needs to change. But if our anger gets too severe, and we deal with it in an unhealthy way that causes problems at home, work or school, then it may be time to get some help in dealing with it.

Anger management refers to a set of strategies to deal with anger and reduce the stresses or triggers that cause anger - it is about making sure that you are in control of the anger, rather than having the anger be in control of you.

Getting Help

• Talk to a trusted friend, spouse/partner or family member
• See a family physician or pediatrician, in order to ensure that there aren't medical problems contributing to the anger. The family physician or pediatrician can also recommend other places to get help.
• See a professional if the problems aren't going away on their own.

Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling of worry, unease or apprehension. The physical symptoms that accompany these feelings include heart palpitations, trembling, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea and diarrhea. Anxiety may be associated with specific situations, events or objects. In some cases, medical problems can lead to symptoms of anxiety.

Getting Help

• The first step in getting help usually involves seeing your doctor. This is important to make sure that there aren't any medical problems (such as thyroid or breathing problems) that can contribute to the anxiety.
• Your doctor might recommend a mental health clinic, or seeing a psychologist, counselor/therapist or psychiatrist.

Asperger Syndrome (aka Asperger's disorder) is a neurological condition that affects social and communication skills, and is one of the autism spectrum conditions.

This section lists agencies which provide assessments for suspected Asperger Syndrome.

An assessment is the process whereby a qualified health professional meets with the child and family in order to determine what the difficulties are, and whether or not they are due to Asperger's.

Case coordination (aka service coordination) is when a case coordinator (or 'service coordinator'), which may be a person, or an agenc, helps the the child/family find services in the system.

Refers to services/organizations that provide a variety of services in one setting, e.g. speech/language, occupational therapy, etc.

In order to see a psychiatrist in private practice, a referral from a physician is required. Ask your physicians and/or other parents for recommendations. The Asperger Parent Support Group provides a doctor's list on request.

Psychologists working in private practice charge a fee, but these may be covered by one's private or workplace insurance plans. Ask your physician and/or other parents for further recommendations. The Asperger Parent Support Group provides a list of psychologists on request.

Various groups exist to help support caregivers, families and individuals affected by Asperger Syndrome.

This section lists services covered by OHIP (the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, and thus publicly funded).

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention-deficit disorder (ADD) are conditions where individuals have extreme problems with inattention and distractibility, to the point that it causes problems with school, home or relationships. In ADHD, individuals also have hyperactivity (troubles sitting still, fidgeting) and impulsivity (acting without thinking first).

Getting help for AD/HD or suspected AD/HD:

• See your doctor (or if you are concerned about your child, see your child's doctor). This is important because your doctor can check to make sure there aren't any medical problems contributing to the problem.
• Your doctor can also help with recommending other professionals that might be useful such as a psychologist (either through the school or in private practice), psychiatrist or neurologist.

Autistic spectrum, autism spectrum, autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), autism spectrum disorders and pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) are all synonymous terms used to describe a group of complex neurological disorders that inhibits the development of communication and socialization skills and in some children may also affect the development of fine and gross motor ability. It may range from being severe on one end, with the severely autistic child who is developmentally delayed (i.e. the older term used was mental retardation) and who is unable to function independently. Yet on the other end of 'high functioning autism', it may be the individual with Asperger's who has difficulties with social function (such as difficulties with non-verbal communication and social skills), but who otherwise functions well intellectually and at work.

If you have concerns about autism or autistic spectrum conditions, you should definitely consult a physician or pediatrician.

All resources listed here are for informational purposes only. The presence of a listing is not meant as an endorsement of a service, nor is the absence of a listing a non-endorsement of a service.

Case coordination (aka service coordination) is when a case coordinator (or 'service coordinator'), which may be a person, or an agenc, helps the the child/family find services in the system.

This section has financial resources.

This section lists different professionals that provide services for children/youth with autism.

This section has self-help, mutual aid and support groups for autism spectrum disorders.

This section lists treatment resources for autism.

Behaviour and conduct problems refer to individuals having troubles with their behaviour, to the point where normal rules or norms are breached, thereby causing distress to others. These problems may occur for a variety of reasons, ranging from medical conditions, learning conditions, mood disorders such as depression.

Getting help

• If your child or loved one is having problems with behaviour, ways to get help would include:
• Seeing your doctor to make sure that there aren't any medical problems contributing to the behaviour problems. And the doctor can help to recommend other community services.
• See a mental health professional such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker.

In the classic Bipolar I Disorder, individuals have severe swings in mood, alternating from intense high energy periods (with euphoric, happy or irritable mood along with increased energy and less need for sleep) alternating with extreme low periods (typically with symptoms of depression). Many conditions can cause mood swings and thus mimic bipolar. Certain medical problems may look like symptoms of bipolar. Particularly in children and youth, mood swings may seen along with many conditions, including mood disorders (like depression or anxiety), attention-deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD), learning disorders, autistic spectrum disorders and sensory processing and self-regulatory conditions.

If you suspect bipolar (in yourself or a loved one), the usual first step is to see your family doctor to make sure that there aren't any medical problems contributing.

Your family doctor can also help with referring you to other services that might be helpful, such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker.

Borderline personality disorder is a label under the DSM-IV that describes individuals who have severe difficulties with relationships, and severe problems in regulating their moods, which results in dramatic mood swings. This particular diagnostic label is not without controversy, but there is no question that individuals with this label endure great distress.

If you think you or a loved one might have this condition, the usual first steps are:

• See your doctor and/or,
• See a mental health professional such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker.

Bullying is a form of aggression where a person is deliberately hurtful to another person. There are many forms, which include physical (shoving, hitting, kicking); verbal (put downs, spreading rumors or gossip); emotional (excluding, tormenting, ridiculing); social (excluding someone, telling gossip or rumors behind someone's back). Bullying can occur to people of all ages but is particularly harmful to children.

If you are a child or youth being bullied

• The first thing to do is to tell an adult -- such as your mother or father, teacher, guidance counselor or (vice) principal
• If that adult doesn't take you seriously, then tell another adult

If you are an employee being bullied or harassed

• Do firmly tell the other person who is harassing you that his/her behaviour is unacceptable and that it must stop
• Do get support from others, e.g. friends/family; work colleagues
• Consider speaking with your manager, boss, or union member

This is a list of cancer resources.

Central auditory processing disorder is a condition where an individual may have normal hearing, but their brain is unable to process sounds properly. They may have troubles understanding, and appear distractible, inattentive or forgetful, or they may be easily overwhelmed by spoken language and become angry or frustrated. Given the large degree that people depend on properly hearing and understanding others, this can cause significant problems in school, work and relationships. Testing by an audiologist can be helpful for making diagnosis as well as recommendations.

Dementia is a group of conditions, all of which involve progressive impairment of brain function, with symptoms such as loss of memory, loss of judgement. Alzheimer's dementia is the most common form of dementia. The usual first step if one suspects dementia is to contact one's family physician for further evaluation.

Depression is a common yet serious condition with symptoms including depressed, sad or irritable mood; loss of interest or pleasure; feelings of guilt or low self-esteem; problems with sleep, appetite, energy and concentration. In the least, depression impairs a person's ability to function at school, work or home. At its worst, depression can lead to thoughts about ending one's life or even worse.

If you suspect that you or a loved one may be depressed 

• Tell a trusted friend or family member so you can be supported; you don't have to deal with this alone! 
• Go see a family physician or pediatrician, in order to ensure that there aren't medical problems (e.g. thyroid problems) causing the problems with mood. The family physician or pediatrician can also recommend other places to get help.
• If you are a child or youth, you can always call the Kids Help Phone, available 24-hrs a day to talk to someone, about anything.  
• If you are a student, talk to a teacher, guidance counselor or school social worker, and they can either offer you more support, or help you find out where to go. Students in college or university can usually go to their their Student Health Service.

Developmental coordination disorder is a condition where individuals have significant problems with coordination (appearing extremely awkward or clumsy) such that it causes problems functioning at home, school and other areas. Identifying this condition is important because there are interventions (e.g. seeing a physiotherapist, or occupational therapist; school accomodations) that can help. Children and youth who have DCD but who are not adequately diagnosed are at risk of having future problems with school, relationships, and of later developing depression and other emotional difficulties.

Developmental delay is where a child has slowed or impaired development. Developmental disability where the developmental delay results in problems with intellectual or adaptive function. Many different conditions can cause developmental delay or disability. The term Intellectual Delay/Disability is often used with the same meaning.

Down syndrome (also called Down's syndrome) is a developmental condition with varying degrees of learning and physical disabilities. Despite their difficulties however, children with Down syndrome generally have a very happy, amiable temperament. They are usually able to learn everyday life skills and can be raised at home. Special education and training allow many individuals with Down syndrome to lead happy, useful, and love-filled lives.

Eating disorders are unfortunately all too common in a society which creates unrealistic expectations for body image. Anorexia (aka anorexia nervosa) is a condition where individuals eat so little that they become malnourished, and symptoms may include loss of menstrual periods (for women), feeling cold, troubles with mood or thinking. Bulimia is a condition where individuals maintain a somewhat normal weight, but have problems with binging (eating large quantities of food at once) and/or purging (making themselves throw up or vomit).

If you are trying to get help for yourself

• Tell someone that you trust.
• Go see your family physician or pediatrician. If required, the family physician or pediatrician can also recommend other places to get help.

If you are trying to get help for someone else

• Let that person know that you are worried about them and ask how you can be supportive.
• Encourage them to see their family physician or pediatrician. If required, the family physician or pediatrician can then recommend other places to get help.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) refers to the whole range of disabilities caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol (i.e. when a mother drinks alcohol while pregnant). Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) refers to a specific group of defects that result from prenatal alcohol exposure. Other related terms include fetal alcohol effects (FAE); alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD) and alcohol-related neurological disorders (ARND). The usual first step if one suspects fetal alcohol problems is to speak to one's family physician, or the child's pediatrician.

Firesetting is the deliberate setting of fires. In children and youth who set fires, firesetting usually occurs due to 1) curiosity, and the desire to experiment with fire; or 2) other reasons, such as a) a cry for help, with the firesetting as a symptom of an underlying problem such as depression or interpersonal troubles; b) delinquent firesetting, which is done purposely to damage property, and which may be done with the approval of adults; c) various other reasons which include firesetting from cognitive impairment and poor impulse control from conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome. Pathological firesetting in adults may be due to pyromania, defined as the deliberate setting of fires for pleasure or satisfaction from the relief of tension experienced before the fire-setting.

Gender identity refers to the basic sense of self as being either male or female. Some individuals are unhappy about being a boy or a girl (or a man or woman), and when this happens, it is called gender dysphoria. Gender identity disorder is a condition where a person has been assigned one gender (on the basis of their sex), but perceives oneself as belonging to another gender.

The Internet (aka 'World Wide Web') has brought many benefits to our society, yet at the same time has the potential to cause harm as well.

This section has resources to ensure safe internet use for children, youth, parents and adults.

A person with a learning difficulty is a person of normal intelligence (or above) who nonetheless has a brain difference which interferes with their learning in one or more of the following areas: listening, speaking, reading, written expression, mathematics and reasoning. Usual resources would include speaking to teachers, possibly seeing a psychologist for psychoeducational testing, and various support/advocacy groups.

Mood disorders are problems with mood such as anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression.

For more information, please select either

• Anxiety
• Bipolar Disorder
• Depression

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neurologic condition where individuals have problems with obsessions (distressing, repetitive thoughts or images), and/or compulsions (habits that one is compelled to do over and over again in order to relieve distress).  

Getting Help  

• Family physicians or pediatricians are the usual first step to assessment and getting help. They can also help ensure that there aren't medical problems (e.g. thyroid problems) contributing to the symptoms. 
• Psychologists or psychiatrists can provide more specialized assessment and treatment for OCD. For mild to moderate OCD, the treatment of choice is usually cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). For more severe OCD, or for OCD which does not respond to CBT, medication may be helpful. 

A physical disability is any health condition, disease or disorder that prevents a person from being able to complete daily tasks or activities. There are many causes of physical disabilities such as: 1) medical conditions, 2) accidents and 3) congenital conditions and genetic (conditions present from birth).

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness where individuals have troubles with perceiving reality, causing severe problems functioning. Schizophrenia is characterized by symptoms of psychosis, which include delusions (strong beliefs that persist despite lack of evidence or evidence to the contrary), and hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that others do not). Note that symptoms of psychosis (i.e. delusions, hallucinations) may be seen in other conditions other than schizophrenia, such as severe depression, bipolar disorder, and various medical conditions.

School refusal is when a child refuses to go to school, and may occur for various reasons. The child may be having problems with anxiety (such as separation anxiety from parents), or may be actively trying to avoid some stress about school (problems with peers such as bullying or conflict; or having a having a learning condition that makes schoolwork stressful). With older children, school refusal may also occur due to truancy -- purposely skipping school.

The usual first steps in dealing with school refusal includes speaking with the school, and/or taking the child to see his/her family physician or pediatrician for additional suggestions. More specialized help may include seeing a psychologist, counselor or other mental health professional.

Deliberate self-harm refers to deliberately injuring one's own body, and these are behaviours that distressed individuals may use in an attempt to cope. Means of self-harm include cutting oneself (known as self-cutting or self-mutilation), burning oneself, scratching at oneself and head-banging. Self-harm behaviours may occur for a variety of reasons; it may occur in conditions such as autism, depression, or eating disorders. Because individuals harm or injure themselves as a (not so helpful) way of coping, the solution is to help the individual 1) figure out what their stresses are, and 2) find a healthier means to cope and deal with their stress. Examples include talking about the stress, dealing directly to problem-solve the stress, or other strategies (such as exercise, music). If unable to solve the problem on one's own, one should see a physician, or counsellor/therapist.

Sensory processing disorders (SPD), previously known as sensory integration (SI) disorders, are problems with the misinterpretation of everyday sensory information such as touch, sound, taste, movement and smells. At the hypersensitivity end, this can lead to the person become easily overwhelmed by seemingly normal sensations of touch, sound or other senses. Behaviours such as rage/tantrums, or anxiety and avoidance may result. At the other extreme, hyposensitive or undersensitive individuals may inappropriately seek out excess sensory stimuli such as movement, touch and sound. Ways to get help include: See a family physician to make sure that there aren't any medical problems contributing. Seeing an occupational therapist that has training in dealing with sensory processing disorders.

Separation and divorce commonly occurs. Separation is when a couple lives separately from one another. Divorce is when their legal marriage is ended. Separation and divorce typically causes a large stress on the separating couple, as well as any involved children and youth. The more that a couple can resolve their differences in a calm fashion, without hostility and without the children/youth feeling blamed or neglecfted, the better the outcome is for everyone. Various resources exist to support the couple, as well as children and youth affected by separation or divorce.

Getting good sleep is important for mental health. Unfortunately, there are many things which can interfere with sleep, ranging from poor sleep hygiene, stress in our environment, or medical conditions such as sleep disorders.

Everyone has problems sleeping from time to time. These problems may be more serious however, if one has the following symptoms:

• Constant drowsiness during the daytime, which indicates one is not getting enough sleep   
• Irritability, or mood changes due to lack of sleep 
• Difficulty breathing during sleep and/or loud or irregular snoring, which may be a sign of one particular sleep condition called sleep apnea
• Extremely restless legs around bedtime, which keep one from sleeping  
• Morning headache, sore throat or mouth dryness
• Loss of energy

If you are having problems with your sleep, the usual step is to:

• Learn more about sleep problems, and try some basic sleep strategies, such as can be found in information from the Canadian Sleep Society.
• See a family physician or pediatrician if the sleep problems aren't getting better on their own.

Social skills (and life skills) refers to the skills necessary in interacting with other people. This includes skills required to initiate contact with others, making friends, and keeping friends. It includes communication skills (such as being assertive), as well as conflict resolution skills (how to solve a disagreement with somebody else). Social skills don't always come naturally, and there are many conditions where one's social skills can be impaired. For children, this classically includes conditions such as autistic spectrum conditions (such as Asperger's) as well as learning conditions such as non-verbal learning disorder, or attention-deficit disorder. (ADD or ADHD).

Language is how people communicate with one another, whereas speech is what is spoken. Speech and Language Disorders are problems with speech or language. Seeing a family physician, or a speech and language pathologist can help with these difficulties.

Suicide is when someone tries to end his or her life on purpose. People think about suicide in an attempt to deal with some problem or stress, but virtually all the time, there are other alternatives other than suicide to deal with the stress.

If you, or someone that you know is feeling suicidal, ways to get help include:

• Calling a Telephone Crisis Line
• Talking to your doctor
• Going to the nearest hospital emergency room.
• Talking to a friend or family member

If you have lost a someone through suicide, here are some possible places to get support:

Tourette's Syndrome is a neurological disorder with multiple facial and other body tics, usually beginning in childhood or adolescence. Tics are involuntary, rapid, sudden movements or vocalizations that occur repeatedly in the same way. Also called Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. The first step in getting help for possible Tourette's or tics is to see one's physician, who may also consider a referral to a neurologist if necessary.

Trauma refers to events (typically abuse or violence) causing extreme distress and anxiety whose after effects can impair individuals. Types of trauma include natural disasters, and a range of man-made trauma: physical trauma (being hit or hurt by someone else); emotional trauma (being hurt by someone emotionally, through being bullied, put down, insulted or controlled); sexual trauma (being hurt by someone through sexual abuse, or rape); war trauma (experiencing war situations).

If you are feeling unsafe at the moment, consider contacting your local Woman's Shelter or Telephone Crisis Line.