“Our Government commends The Royal and its OSI clinic for providing support and information at the touch of a button for those who are suffering as a result of their service to Canada,” said Minister Blaney. “In collaboration with the OSI Clinic Network, this new app will make a real difference for our nation’s heroes who are living with PTSD or other operational stress injuries.”

OSI Connect was created by the Royal Ottawa OSI Clinic, which is one of 10 OSI clinics across Canada funded by VAC. The app is also a resource for professionals who work with individuals who could be suffering from an OSI. They include physicians, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, teachers, social workers and community workers at detox centres and homeless shelters.

“This mobile app is a new channel for Veterans and serving personnel in the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP to get information and resources on operational stress injuries without any stigma,” said George Weber, President and CEO of The Royal, the only specialized mental health and academic health sciences centre of the OSI Clinic Network. “We hope it will encourage those who are suffering the very painful and disturbing effects of operational stress injuries and who may not be aware of services or how to go about getting help.”

OSI clinics specialize in treating conditions that come from combat, high stress or operational fatigue. Each clinic has a dedicated professional team that includes psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health nurses, and other specialized clinicians who provide assessment, treatment, prevention and support. They use their knowledge of the military and police environments to develop personalized OSI treatment plans.

OSI Connect is free and available in English and French (Connexion TSO) from iTunes, BlackBerry and Android app stores.

– 30 –

Media inquiries

Janice Summerby
Media Relations Advisor, Veterans Affairs Canada at 613.992.7468

Sue Riley
The Royal, Community Relations at 613.722.6521, ext. 6349

Jean-Christophe de Le Rue
Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs at 613.996.4649

Target Audience
Family physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, and other health care professionals.

Date
Friday, November 22, 2013
8:00 a.m. (registration & refreshments) to 4:00 p.m.

Location
The Royal, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa
Associates in Psychiatry Auditorium

Cost
Regular: $150, Students: $75 (cost includes lunch and two breaks)

Register
Registration is limited to 125
Click HERE to register

Target Audience
This conference will be of interest to all disciplines, including nurses, physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, recreational therapists, and other health care professionals.

Presenters

Dr. Tyler B lack
Medical Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergency Unit at BC Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia

Elizabeth Manley
1988 Olympic Silver Medalist, and 1988 World Silver Medalist

Ann-Marie O’ B rien, MSW, RSW
Social Worker, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
Adjunct Professor, Carleton University School of Social Work

Elliott Lee, MD, FRCPC, A B PN
Assistant Professor and Sleep Specialist, The Royal
Diplomate of American Board of Sleep Medicine, and
Diplomate A B PN Sleep Medicine, Addiction Psychiatry

Date
Friday, October 18, 2013
8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Location
The Royal, 1145 Carling Avvenue, Ottawa
Associates in Psychiatry Auditorium

Cost
Regular: $125, Student: $65

Click HERE to register

Workshop Objectives
In these workshops, participants will:

1. Learn about the latest treatment advances, psychosocial issues, and challenges in the support and treatment of schizophrenia, and psychosis.
2. Learn and exchange views of community based leaders and caregivers who work with those living with schizophrenia.

Date
Friday, September 20, 2013
8:00 a.m. (registration & refreshments) to 4:00 p.m.

Location
The Royal
1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Associates in Psychiatry Auditorium

Cost
$50 (lunch and breaks are included)

Register
Registration is limited to 125 registrants
Click HERE to Register

The study, led by Dr. Georg Northoff at The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), shows something that has been undetected before: that there is a clear connection between the brain’s resting state and a person’s level of consciousness.

Moreover, the body of research, which is being published in Human Brain Mapping today, not only dispels the long-held notion that the brain is unresponsive — opening the door to newfound possibilities when it comes to treating people thought to be lost to the world — but also raises deep philosophical questions about the ‘self.’ Dr. Northoff, Canada Research Chair in Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics, the Michael Smith Chair in Neurosciences and Mental Health, and Research Unit Director at the IMHR, explains: “That complex experience of being ‘you’ is a feeling that is unique to all of us.” And, what makes each of us special is actually rooted in the way our brain’s cortical midline section is wired — the area of the brain where consciousness appears to take place.

“Our study clearly shows that the self, the resting state and one’s consciousness are closely intertwined,” explains Dr. Northoff.

To advance the connection between the brain’s resting state and one’s level of consciousness, Dr. Northoff and his team at China’s Shanghai University conducted experiments on 12 healthy control subjects and 11 patients (six in a vegetative state and five in a minimally conscious state) at the Shanghai Huashan Hospital. Those in a vegetative state are considered to be in a blank state. They are awake — their eyes are open — but for all intents and purposes, they are considered to be unaware and incapable of feeling stimuli or thinking. While some eventually emerge from this state, others remain unchanged.

Using fMRI scans along with visual and auditory stimuli (showing pictures related to and talking about the individual’s personal interests, etc.), Dr. Northoff and the team were able to break new ground, demonstrating that the degree of electrical activity on the scans in response to external stimuli is predictive of consciousness. In other words, those in a restive state were actually aware and capable of feeling stimuli.

“What we were doing was really targeting the person’s ‘old’ self by showing images that the person might be able to relate to,” says Dr. Northoff. “You might show a picture – or the recreate the smell – of a Chinese meal or show a photo of the person’s home town, things that are familiar. You’d say the person’s name while showing these pictures. If you were shown a picture of the town where you lived, a particular area of the brain would become active; if you were shown a picture of another town that has no special personal relevance, the cortical midline structure would not become active.”

The team performed the experiments every day, for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

Dr. Northoff believes that the results reinforce his thesis that the cortical midline structure is responsible for creating our own unique self — the seat of consciousness, if you will. It is here that scientists have noticed the network of neural activity seems to be most active when the brain is doing nothing at all. “The default mode network is always on, and perhaps it’s always on because our sense of ‘self’ is always on,” says Dr. Northoff. “We’ve just never been able to demonstrate that before.”

Judging by the remarkable results of his latest experiment, Dr. Northoff has definitively supported his thesis that the ‘self’ — however deeply buried below the surface when one is in a coma or vegetative state — continues to exist, ready to be prodded out. It just takes the right kind of stimulation.

-30-

Media Contact

Nicole Loreto, VP of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
613.697.2000 | nicole.loreto@theroyal.ca

Sue Riley, Community Relations
613.722.6521 ext 6349 | sue.riley@theroyal.ca

This fifth annual event is presented in collaboration with The Society For Neuroscience Ottawa Chapter and features features a three-part keynote with the theme: Mental Health for Life.

What: 5th Annual University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), Young Researchers’ Conference: Mental Health for LIFE

Where: The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, 1145 Carling Ave., Ottawa.

When: Friday, June 7, 2013, 8 a.m.

First, Dr. Pierre Blier, Endowed Chair of Mood Disorders Research at the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, will present work on recent developments in the use of Ketamine as a fast acting antidepressant and it’s potential use for individuals at risk for suicide. Next, Dr. Holly Wilcox, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, will share her work on suicide risk across the lifespan and approaches to suicide prevention. Finally, Luke and Stephanie Richardson of DIFD at The Royal will provide a family perspective on suicide as they speak about their experience losing their daughter.

Suicide is a complex and important issue that will require the hard work and collaboration of these young minds to address. With this in mind, the keynote will be followed by an open discussion panel with the presenters providing audience members with the opportunity to ask questions and discuss this very important topic.

The afternoon will feature a series of workshops that will provide young researchers with advice and knowledge to help them in their future academic endeavours and provide attendees with the opportunity to discuss, collaborate and learn about the important advances in mental health research.

Also featured throughout the day will be a number of wellness activities including instruction in Symphonic Gong relaxation and mindfulness. For more information visit the conference website: http://www.young-researchers.com/conference.html

About Young Researchers

Young Researchers’ consists of a group of students and early career researchers dedicated to enhancing collaborations, networking, research, educational, and training opportunities for individuals working in mental health research. Our organization has been involved in providing training opportunities and events since 2006. This has included a monthly lecture series and annual conferences all developed, organized, presented and attended exclusively by young researchers.

About The Royal

The Royal is one of Canada’s foremost mental health care and academic health science centres. Its mandate is simple: to get more people living with mental illness into recovery faster. The Royal combines the delivery of specialized mental health care, advocacy, research and education to transform the lives of people with complex and treatment resistant mental illness. For more information, visit www.theroyal.ca.

Media contact
Sue Riley at sue.riley@theroyal.ca or 613.722.6521 ext. 6349 (office), 613.857.9752 (mobile)

Ottawa (ON): A breakthrough study has found definitive evidence that the brain at rest is still active. The study, led by Dr. Georg Northoff at The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), shows something that has been undetected before: that there is a clear connection between the brain’s resting state and a person’s level of consciousness.

Moreover, the body of research, which is being published in Human Brain Mapping today, not only dispels the long-held notion that the brain is unresponsive — opening the door to newfound possibilities when it comes to treating people thought to be lost to the world — but also raises deep philosophical questions about the ‘self.’ Dr. Northoff, Canada Research Chair in Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics, the Michael Smith Chair in Neurosciences and Mental Health, and Research Unit Director at the IMHR, explains: “That complex experience of being ‘you’ is a feeling that is unique to all of us.” And, what makes each of us special is actually rooted in the way our brain’s cortical midline section is wired — the area of the brain where consciousness appears to take place.

“Our study clearly shows that the self, the resting state and one’s consciousness are closely intertwined,” explains Dr. Northoff.

To advance the connection between the brain’s resting state and one’s level of consciousness, Dr. Northoff and his team at China’s Shanghai University conducted experiments on 12 healthy control subjects and 11 patients (six in a vegetative state and five in a minimally conscious state) at the Shanghai Huashan Hospital. Those in a vegetative state are considered to be in a blank state. They are awake — their eyes are open — but for all intents and purposes, they are considered to be unaware and incapable of feeling stimuli or thinking. While some eventually emerge from this state, others remain unchanged.

Using fMRI scans along with visual and auditory stimuli (showing pictures related to and talking about the individual’s personal interests, etc.), Dr. Northoff and the team were able to break new ground, demonstrating that the degree of electrical activity on the scans in response to external stimuli is predictive of consciousness. In other words, those in a restive state were actually aware and capable of feeling stimuli.

“What we were doing was really targeting the person’s ‘old’ self by showing images that the person might be able to relate to,” says Dr. Northoff. “You might show a picture – or the recreate the smell – of a Chinese meal or show a photo of the person’s home town, things that are familiar. You’d say the person’s name while showing these pictures. If you were shown a picture of the town where you lived, a particular area of the brain would become active; if you were shown a picture of another town that has no special personal relevance, the cortical midline structure would not become active.”

The team performed the experiments every day, for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

Dr. Northoff believes that the results reinforce his thesis that the cortical midline structure is responsible for creating our own unique self — the seat of consciousness, if you will. It is here that scientists have noticed the network of neural activity seems to be most active when the brain is doing nothing at all. “The default mode network is always on, and perhaps it’s always on because our sense of ‘self’ is always on,” says Dr. Northoff. “We’ve just never been able to demonstrate that before.”

Judging by the remarkable results of his latest experiment, Dr. Northoff has definitively supported his thesis that the ‘self’ — however deeply buried below the surface when one is in a coma or vegetative state — continues to exist, ready to be prodded out. It just takes the right kind of stimulation.

-30-

Media Contact
Nicole Loreto, VP of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
613.697.2000 | nicole.loreto@theroyal.ca

Sue Riley, Community Relations
613.722.6521 ext 6349 | sue.riley@theroyal.ca

Social Media
From May 6- 12, we’ll be sharing sleep tips from our sleep lab as well as other helpful tips for taking good care of your mental health this Spring.

Connect with us:

Facebook: You Know Who I Am

Twitter: @theroyalott

Tweet Chat- May 9, 2013 11 am: The Ministry of Child and Youth Services will be hosting a Twitter Chat featuring Luke and Stephanie Richardson of DIFD on youth mental health and resiliency. Follow along!

May 7, 2013

at 10:00 am in the Auditorium, The Royal

Is It Just Me? An educational program for youth

The Is It Just Me? program will bring high school students to The Royal to hear from a neuroscientist who explains the inner workings of the brain and how the mind is affected by mental illness and drugs; a psychologist who explains that mental health is just as important as physical health and talks to the students about how to recognize symptoms and reach out for help; and someone who lives with mental illness about their experience and why it’s important to get help.

This educational program is only open to students and schools must register. If you’re interested in having your school participate in this program, please email sue.riley@theroyal.ca

May 8, 2013

at 2:00 pm in the Winter Garden, The Royal

Clients of The Royal’s long term care program along with Recreation Therapy staff and members of the Propeller Dance company will be performing a dance. The Propeller Dance is an integrated form of dance which allows people of all abilities to express themselves freely using a blend of body movements and sound while being accompanied by live music.

May 9, 2013

at 7:30 pm, Brockville Arts Centre, 235 King St. West, Brockville

NCR: Not Criminally Responsible film screening

John Kastner, one of Canada’s most acclaimed documentary-makers with four Emmys, puts a human face on the public debate surrounding the rights of the mentally ill, their victims and the need for treatment. He casts his lens on two patients who are found not criminally responsible and sent for treatment at The Royal’s facility in Brockville.

Free Admission.

May 10, 2013

at 8.30 am ‐ 4:00 pm at The Royal

Joyful Living: The Art & Science of Everyday Happiness A day of workshops, discussion, music, and more.

Presenters
Sunder Arora, M.D. has been an adult and child psychiatrist for over 30 years, a faculty member, University of Ottawa, an interfaith minister, yoga teacher, family man and an inspiring spiritual teacher. He creates a bridge between science and spirituality, worldly life and mystical realms.
Rupinder Arora, M.D. is a holistic psychotherapist, interfaith minister, yoga teacher, wife and mother; she has been in private practice in Ottawa for 25 years. She is deeply committed to her own spiritual quest and skillfully weaves together a tapestry of East Indian wisdom and modern science.

Click HERE to register

May 10, 2013

at Lago Bar and Grill at Dow’s Lake, Ottawa
8:00 to 10:00 pm – Silent Auction, Cocktails, Appetizers, Entertainment and Words
10:00 pm – 2:00 am – Dance Party!

Friends with Benefits- Fundraiser for The Royal

Launched last May in 2012, the inaugural event was a huge success and brought in $12,387 all of which went directly to the Jennie James Depression Research Fund to promote awareness, understanding, research and treatment of depression and to end the silence surrounding suicide.  The Fund contributes directly to the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health to support the best possible patient care and leading edge research provided by the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, the Brockville Mental Health Centre, and the uOttawa Institute of Mental Health Research.

Click HERE for tickets

May 18, 2013

at Holistic Roots Massage & Wellness, 475 Cambridge St. South 1:30pm – 5:15pm

An Afternoon of Yoga and Dance for Mental Health

Join us for an energizing Vinyasa Yoga Flow class from 1:30pm – 2:45pm, a fun and vibrant Zumba class from 3pm – 3:45, or a Gentle Yoga class with a relaxing meditation from  4:00pm – 5:15pm.

Classes are donations-based with 100% of donations going directly  to supporting youth and women’s mental health care programs  - one being The Royal’s Women’s Mental Health Care program. Click here for more information.

Our team of Mental Health First Aid instructors has been selected for their knowledge of mental health and their skill in delivering course content. They have been trained by and maintain their certification through the Mental Health First Aid Canada Program.

Mental Health First Aid Basic is a 12-hour training course that focuses on the following: substance-related disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorder, psychotic disorders, eating disorders and deliberate self-injury.

What is Mental Health First Aid?
Mental Health First Aid is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate professional treatment is received or until the crisis is resolved. The concept is based on the model of medical first aid.

Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based course developed in Australia by Betty Kitchener and Professor Tony Jorm. The course has been formally evaluated and shows a number of benefits:

• Better recognition of mental health problems
• Increased knowledge about appropriate treatments
• Reduced stigma
• Increased confidence in providing help to others

What is the Purpose of the Course?
Mental Health First Aid Course teaches people to:

• Identify when a person may be a danger to themselves or to others and take steps to preserve life
• Recognize the early signs of mental health problems and provide help toward preventing more serious problems from developing
• Provide comfort to someone with a mental health problem and support them in their recovery
• Guide a person toward the appropriate professional help.

After successfully completing the Mental Health First Aid Canada course, participants will receive a Mental Health First Aid Canada Certificate. Participants are also provided with the first aid package which covers the course content and provides additional resources. Participants must attend all 12-14 hours of the course to receive their certificate.

Who Should Attend?
Everyone can benefit from the Mental Health First Aid Youth Program — members of the general public, teachers, health service providers, university students, emergency workers, frontline workers who deal with the public, volunteers, human resources professionals, employers, community groups.

Next Course
May 21 and 22, 2013

Registration Fee
$180 per person; $90 per student

Click HERE to Register Now!

The Royal
1145 Carling Avenue
Ottawa ON  K1Z 7K4

DIFD will be on-site throughout the championship to share information and raise awareness about youth mental health. On DIFD night, a designated Power to Purple section will provide discounted tickets with $5 going to support youth mental health. The 50/50 draw on April 3 will also donate a portion of the proceeds to DIFD at The Royal.

Team Canada defenseman and DIFD champion Tessa Bonhomme along with Stephanie Richardson will be available for interviews on the importance of communication with friends, family and teachers about mental health.

The funds raised at the IIHF Women’s World Championships will go to help support DIFD’s Is It Just Me?, an educational program presented at The Royal providing high school students with a better understanding of how mental health affects their thoughts, moods and behaviors and when and how to seek help.

DIFD night at the IIHF Women’s World Championships

What
The IIHF Women’s World Championships have chosen DIFD as the charity of choice to have promotional tables throughout the championships and there will be a DIFD night where five dollars from each DIFD section seat sold will support youth mental health.

When
DIFD night Wednesday, April 3, 2013 7:30 pm.

Where
Scotiabank Place, 1000 Palladium Dr.

About DIFD
DIFD was created by friends and family of 14-year-old Daron Richardson, who died by suicide in 2010. DIFD is inspired by hope for a future where young people will reach out for help without fear or shame and supports programs and initiatives aimed at transforming youth mental health. Visit DIFD.com to learn more.

Media Contact
Sue Riley, sue.riley@theroyal.ca, 613.722.6521 ext. 6349 (office) or 613.857.9752 (mobile)