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Information Resources |
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The Family Support Centre provides a wide range of information, videos and books on schizophrenia and other serious
 mental illnesses, from one page leaflets to weighty government documents. Much of this material is also online (just click on the highlighted titles, below). The directory, below, is only a partial list of the literature and other information materials available at the Centre, which cover bipolar illness, depression, anxiety disorders and eating disorders as well as schizophrenia.For books, please see the separate
bibliography page. |
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Contents |
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Schizophrenia: the illness
What to do and how to go about it
Obtaining treatment
Issues and arguments
Translations
Other manuals and government documents
Videos
Movies
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Schizophrenia: the illness
Basic Facts About
Schizophrenia
A major booklet on the illness: the basic facts,
causes, symptoms, early warning signs, what it’s
like to have schizophrenia, how families can
help, getting treatment, myths and
misconceptions, and much more.
Coping When Someone In Your Family Has Psychosis
A booklet on early psychosis: first episodes, types of psychosis, systems, early warning signs, guidelines for families and friends, and most important of all, the need to act quickly when the signs appear.
Schizophrenia in Children
The early warning signs in youngsters with schizophrenia, plus guidelines for parents.
How much do you know about schizophrenia?
It’s a “brain disease.” A 10-question quiz on schizophrenia, good for learning the basics about the illness and for handing out to discussion groups and the public.
Schizophrenia: Some Questions and Answers
Eight frequently asked questions excerpted from the BCSS booklet, Basic Facts About Schizophrenia. |
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What to do and how to go about it
(On obtaining treatment when involuntary committal is required, please see the next section, below.)
Freedom of
Information and Protection of Privacy
A fact sheet
excepted from Appendix 13 of the 2005 Guide
to the Mental Health Act, explaining how the legislation allows for sharing of health information with families in the case of the mentally ill, and providing examples.
North Shore Contact Numbers
A one-page directory of emergency, Mental Health Services and
other telephone numbers on the North Shore.
Questions to Ask the Psychiatrist
A checklist of questions for families of patients with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses.
A Handbook for Spouses
A 12-part handbook covering a variety of issues, especially written for spouses of those suffering from schizophrenia.
Strategies for Families
A shortlist of key strategies for family members and for mental health workers, to aid in their collaboration in the treatment process.
Drugs, Alcohol & Schizophrenia: A Hazardous Road to Travel
The alarming effects of mixing drugs or alcohol with the illness, and what to do about it.
Benefits of Extended Leave
All about extended leave, by which patients are released from hospital, but their medication continues to be supervised, and they may be quickly returned to hospital if psychotic symptoms return.
Hospital Discharge Planning
A description of the six main areas essential to
a good discharge plan, plus an extensive
checklist for family members to present to
professionals when their ill relative is being
discharged.
Recovering from Schizophrenia
The value of rehabilitation and the possibilities of improvement or recovery.
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Obtaining treatment
Involuntary admissions, Section 22 of the B.C.
Mental Health Act
Involuntary admission, excerpt from the Guide to the Mental Health Act
An explanation of the committal criteria and how they are to be applied, plus other details, such as police intervention when necessary and judicial orders.
Assistance from Relatives and Others in Obtaining Treatment
Suggestions for families and friends on how to help obtain treatment for someone suffering from the illness, excerpted from the
2005 Guide to the Mental Health Act. |
NSSS services and programs
Family Support Centre
Briefly describes mental illness and the services provided by the Centre, plus Mental Health Service and emergency contact information.
Partnership
The lowdown on our “Partnership Education” program, in which a family member, someone suffering from a serious mental illness, and a professional where available talk to high school and college classes and other groups, story fashion, about their experiences dealing with the illness.
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Issues and arguments
The Mental Health Act - “The Right to Treatment and Care.”
The rationale for involuntary committal and its provision in the B.C. Mental Health Act.
Highlights of the McCorkell judgement
The findings of Justice Ian Donald of the B.C. Supreme Court in a famous 1993 case upholding the provisions of the B.C. Mental Health Act dealing with involuntary committal and helping to ensure the mentally ill are not abandoned.
The Manifesto
A bold 1992 statement by the NSSS - then BCSS North Shore
- on the need for a responsive Mental Health Act that allows for treatment of the seriously mentally ill and for including families as part of the treatment team.
Uncivil Liberties
“Freeing the mentally ill from the Bastille of their psychoses” - the civil liberties case for involuntary committal, originally published in the Vancouver Sun.
Riverview Lands - The Future
On retaining Riverview and its location for people with severe mental illness. Includes proposals for housing and a campus community.
Guardianship Legislation and the B.C. Mental Health Act
An explanation of how the B.C. Mental Health Act takes precedence over other legislation, to safeguard the seriously mentally ill and their need for treatment. |
Translations
Fact sheets on schizophrenia in
traditional Chinese,
simplified Chinese, French
(through la Société québecoise de la
schizophrénie), Spanish,
Punjabi,
Hindi,
Bengali and Urdu. The translations cover basic facts, what causes schizophrenia, how to find appropriate medical help, and much more.
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Other manuals and government documents
Early Psychosis: A Care Guide
A 118-page guide prepared by the Mental Health Evaluation and Community Consultation Unit at the Department of Psychiatry, UBC, available online in a pdf version.
Early Psychosis: A Care Guide Summary
Highlights of the approach and principle recommendations contained in the complete version.
B.C. Mental Health Act
A Guide to the B.C. Mental Health Act
A guide for professionals and families alike on how the B.C. Mental Health Act works, with particularly important sections on involuntary committal and on police intervention.
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Videos
Videos may be viewed at the Family Support Centre or, where there are copies available, may also be borrowed. Watch this space for a complete list yet to come.
Reaching Out, BCSS’s ground-breaking video on early intervention, can also be viewed online.
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Movies
For movie fans: Ian Chovil’s home page
www.chovil.com has a list of feature films about schizophrenia, with perceptive comments added. The movies are available in most video stores. After you’ve looked at the list, you may want to browse through this most informative site.
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