BIRTH DAY: A Fundraiser for AAMH Canada (in Ottawa!)

Come and be part of BIRTH DAY: the first-ever event held by the Artists' Alliance for Mental Health Canada (and not coincidentally, the 35th birthday celebration for AAMH Canada founder Greg Frankson!) on Thursday, January 28 at 7 pm inside the East African Restaurant (376 Rideau Street, Ottawa).

This fundraiser will include the following:

- Spoken word from Ritallin (Ottawa) and Monica King (Lanark County);
- A special performance from Mahlikah Aweri & Isaac Riverwalker of the indigenous music/poetry group the Red Slam Collective (Toronto);
- A musical performance by Ottawa singer-songwriter Rita Carter;
- Stand-up comedy from Emily Olding, Heather Bruce and Andrew Woglemuth -- members of the Ottawa chapter of Stand Up For Mental Health;
- Visual art from Komi Olaf's Angels of Music collection, with prints available for sale from the artist;
- and Von Allan joins us with his graphic novel "the road to god knows ..."

All of this is for AAMH Canada, which is dedicated to awareness raising, advocacy, research and collaborative action in support of people living with mental health concerns.

Get there early to get a seat, and to sample the fine Ethiopian food on the menu! Admission is $8 at the door.

For more information about us, check the AAMH Canada FB page, or our website at http://www.aamh.ca/, or email aamh.canada@gmail.com.

Documentary: The Downside of High

This is a message passed along to AAMH Canada by Caroline Butler, our colleague in BC:

I wanted to alert you to an upcoming documentary on CBC's "The Nature of Things" with David Suzuki. Please forward this on to anyone you think would be interested!

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"Is strong pot damaging young minds?"

That provocative question is at the heart of THE DOWNSIDE OF HIGH, a new documentary about the science behind marijuana and mental illness.

"Teenagers who start smoking marijuana before the age of sixteen are four times more likely to become schizophrenic."

That’s the startling conclusion of some of the world’s top schizophrenia experts, whose research is featured in The Downside of High.

The scientists’ groundbreaking work on the connection between marijuana and mental illness also reveals that, for all young adults, smoking marijuana nearly doubles the risk of developing recurring psychosis, paranoia and hallucinations – the hallmarks of schizophrenia.

"The Downside of High" premieres Thursday, January 28 at 8:00 P.M. (8:30 NT).

Visit  http://www.dreamfilm.ca/ for more information.  Dreamfilm is a Gemini Award-winning production company in Vancouver, BC.

You can also contact me:

Caroline Butler

cbut@telus.net

Interesting new research on BD in BC

Courtesy of one of our BC members, here is an article on some very interesting new research being conducted by psychologist Erin Michalak in Vancouver on bipolar disorder.  Read the article here.

This article is of particular interest because of the focus on individuals who are not dependent on drug therapies for symptom control but rather use other non-pharmaceutical methods to improve their quality of life. This is research more concerned with thriving as opposed to the tradition focus on disorder and dysfunction. It's refreshing to see researchers moving out of the stereotypical boxes to look at what people with lived experience are actually doing. May we only hope that more research of this kind gets done for a wider variety of mental health conditions!