Vancouver, British Columbia – The Canadian Mental Health Association’s BC Division (CMHA BC) sees yesterday’s release of the documentary, Wasted, on CBC’s The Nature of Things as an important opportunity to strengthen public awareness and engagement about addiction.
Filmmaker Maureen Palmer documents the experiences of her partner Mike Pond – a psychotherapist and a person living with a dependence on alcohol – on his journey to finding compassionate and evidence-based treatments. Their objective: to help others battling addictions.
In 2013, six million Canadians met the criteria for addiction, with more men than women being affected (Stats Canada). 50% of people living with an addiction live with a co-occurring mental health disorder and make up close to one-third of psychiatric inpatient hospitalizations, representing a significant public health problem (CIHI).
“We want to commend Mike Pond for sharing his important lived experiences in such a public way in hope of making change. And of course Maureen Palmer for making a film that will reach countless people,” says Bev Gutray, CEO at CMHA BC. “We have long been concerned about strengthening prevention and treatment efforts in our province and addressing the stigma that is still in play. We think this film and the resources that have been made available will make a difference.”
“This documentary and the accompanying resource “Addiction. The next step” are important additions to existing resources,” says Gutray. “We hope people can learn from these resources, and other tools that are available, to make better sense of addictions and where to get help and support.”
Support and resources can be found here:
- www.heretohelp.bc.ca – trusted mental health and addiction information
- www.understandingaddiction.ca – a new CMHA BC online course
- www.heretohelp.bc.ca/workbook/fgta-coping-kit – From Grief to Action Coping Kit
About the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
CMHA is Canada’s most established mental health charity and the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health. CMHA helps people access the resources they need to maintain and improve mental health, build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness. Each year in BC alone, CMHA serves more than 100,000 people all across the province. For mental health and addiction information and resources visit www.cmha.ca.
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To schedule interviews, contact:
Jennifer Quan, Marketing and Communications Manager
Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
604-688-3234 or jennifer.quan@cmha.bc.ca