Although Community Mental Health
services are common within a mental
health/illness framework, services directed at Public Mental Health,
which include mental health promotion and illness prevention, are
still in their infancy. The Senate Standing Committee on Social
Affairs, Science and Technology recognized this deficiency and
dedicated an entire chapter to this topic. In it, they made the following
recommendations:
- That mental health be included as an
immediate priority health issue in the Integrated Pan-Canadian
Healthy Living Strategy.
- That the Public Health Agency of Canada, in
collaboration with other stakeholders, prepare a Mental Health
Guide for Canadians and ensure its broad distribution.
- That the federal government commit sufficient
resources to enable the Public Health Agency of Canada to take the
lead role in identifying national priorities for interventions in
the areas of mental health promotion and mental illness prevention
and to work, in collaboration with other stakeholders, toward
translating these priorities into action.
That all mental
health promotion and mental illness prevention initiatives contain
provisions for monitoring and evaluating their impact.
That the Knowledge Exchange Centre (see Chapter 16) work
closely with existing bodies such as the Canadian Institute for
Health Information, Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institutes
of Health Research to collect and disseminate data on evaluations
of mental health promotion and mental illness prevention
interventions, including campaigns to prevent suicide.
That, in this context, the Canadian Mental Health
Commission (see Chapter 16) explore the possibility of:
- developing common measures to evaluate
mental health promotion and mental illness prevention
interventions;
- analyzing federal policy initiatives for
their probable mental health impact;
- identifying clusters of problems and/or
at-risk populations that are not currently being
addressed.
- That the federal government support the
efforts of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and
other organizations working to develop a national suicide
prevention strategy.
That the
Canadian Mental Health Commission (see Chapter 16) work closely
with all stakeholders to, among other things:
- develop consistent standards and protocols
for collecting information on suicide deaths, non-fatal attempts
and ideation;
- increase the study and reporting of risk
factors, warning signs and protective factors for individuals,
families, communities and society;
- support the development of a national
suicide research agenda along the lines proposed by the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research.
Another related concept is that of Positive
Psychology, which is defined as "scientific study of the strengths
and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive". The
University of Pennsylvania has an extensive Positive
Psychology Center that encompasses research, education
and the dissemination of the concept. Positive Psychology is indeed
a form of Public Mental Health, but it goes far beyond just mental
health and into community development in general. Some of the
center's stated goals include:
- Families and schools that allow children to
flourish
- Workplaces that foster satisfaction and high
productivity
- Communities that encourage civic engagement
- Therapists who identify and nurture their
patients' strengths
- The teaching of Positive Psychology
- Dissemination of Positive Psychology
interventions in organizations & communities
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