Building mental wellness on a foundation of strength
An open letter to the Hon. Judy Darcy, British Columbia Minister of Mental Health and Addictions I'm writing to express my dismay that it appears that the Government of British Columbia does not intend to take advantage of the modernization of the Health Professions Act to remove section 32(3), which stigmatizes health professionals with a… Continue reading Stigma Enshrined in Law: An Open Letter to BC’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions
A nurse that I used to work with developed an addiction a number of years back. When it came out, in order to have any hope of getting his job and his nursing license back, he was required to see an addictions specialist and adhere to the treatment plan that was set out. One of… Continue reading Should People with Addictions Be Forced to Attend AA?
As a nurse in my province (British Columbia, Canada), if I am hospitalized for mental illness then the provincial Health Professions Act requires the hospital to report me to the nursing regulatory college, and the college must treat this as a complaint about my fitness to practice. This ends up with being offering the non-choice… Continue reading The Health Professions Act and the Fight Against Stigma
johnhain on Pixabay Stigma can be found in many places, even places where we might like to think it shouldn't be. One such place where I have found it is in government legislation, hence the title of this post, legislated stigma. Mandatory reporting of hospitalized nurses As a registered nurse, my professional license is through… Continue reading Legislated Stigma
Profiles in Tremendousness is a segment on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah that pokes fun at the competency (and lack thereof) of various characters in the Trump White House. I'm going to borrow that idea to take a look at the less than stellar characters I've come across in my mental health journey. Difficult… Continue reading Profiles in Tremendousness