...Because Children's Mental Health is Everyone's Business

ADVOCACY in ACTION - Be involved, join to raise our voices....

In order to motivate positive change for our children and youth we need to organize and mobilize our voices.  Together, we can promote the necessary changes that our children and youth require from our Government so that they can truly live rewarding lives, reaching their full potential.

PCMH is committed to being involved in this process, and empowering families, children, youth, and parents to speak up and speak out and to demand that our issues are no longer orphaned and ignored.

Please take a few moments to fill out this short survey in helping to plan for our Day of Advocacy at Queen's Park. 

Without a strong presence we can continue to be ignored, and our children should be ignored no longer, and should not have to be in the Shadows one moment more.  Help us help them to Stand in the Light!

Click Here to take survey

PCMH is a voluntary group of parents dedicated to helping families and improving mental health services in Ontario.

We are a non-profit, provincial, parent run organization that provides a voice for children and their families who face the challenges of mental health problems in Ontario. We work with the families, the general public, mental health professionals and agencies, and government to provide education, support and advocacy.

• Are you and your family dealing with a child experiencing emotional, psychological or social problems?
• Is your child dealing with depression, drug abuse, rages, destructive behaviour or suicidal thoughts?
• Need Help?

This Website is hosted by parents who have had or who are currently using the mental health services of Ontario.

 

Celebrating the Work of Youth......

A speech by Olivia Pol

 

Look at that guy! Is he ever weird? Good morning judges, teachers, and fellow students. So many of us fail to see that there are many people who suffer from MHD's. There are many types of MHD's such as ADHD, ADD, Tourettes and OCD.

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Children who have ADHD have a hard time concentrating and listening and are very hyper. Children with ADD have the same symptoms but are not hyper.

Tourettes is a disorder that causes the person to have tics and they sometimes make strange sounds and noises. Having Tourettes is like having a car with leaky brakes...It is very HARD TO STOP!

As an example tics is when a person blinks, moves their shoulders or talks to themselves a lot.

OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. People with OCD have a problem letting things go or compromising. They need to have order in their own way. Things like lining up their toys in a certain way or brushing their hair a certain number of times must be done. Some people wash their hands many times or become obsessed about bad weather when it gets windy or they see a dark cloud in the sky.

Did you know that MHD's affects 1 in 5 children in Canada? Did you also know people are born with MHD's and they live with it all their lives? Some people take medication to help control their disorders. Sometimes as people get order they find strategies to control themselves without using medication.

Both of my brothers have MHD's. It is a challenge and sometimes difficult living with them. They can easily get upset and angry and have trouble listening and concentrating. Things that you and I understand and can do easily might take our family 5 times longer to get done. My oldest brother has ADHD, Tourettes, OCD, Asbergers, Server CAPs(Central Auditory Processing),ODD(Oppositional Defiant Disorder ) and Epilepsy. My younger brother has ADD, Tourettes ,OCD and PDD(Pervasive Developmental Disorder). Trust me there is never a dull moment at our house!

So many people misunderstand MHD. Children and Adults are suffering everyday along with their families with MHD's. Still there is very little funding and government help to support MHD's. There are millions of dollars going to illnesses like the H1N1 virus. Yet if MH is left untreated it will take the lives of more people than H1N1 Cancer, Heart disease, or Diabetes. As an example in Ontario approximately 33 people have passed away from the H1N1 in the last 8 months compared to over 60 MH deaths in the last 8 months. What's crazy is that if there was more treatment that number would be zero.

So the next time you see someone acting weird like making strange noises and faces or talking to themselves. Stop and think that maybe they are suffering from a MHD. You can make a DIFFERENCE in these peoples lives by NOT being afraid of them. REMEMBER these people are smart and have feelings like you and me. They Just have a lot more issues to deal with each day and could use our support to make their lives easier. By treating them with respect, kindness, patients and understanding you may uncover and create a NEW FRIENDSHIP.

 

Thank you for sharing these inspirational words.......