COLOUR AIDS DEVELOPMENT OF

NOVA SCOTIA MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGY

Statistics confirm that, in any given year, one in five people personally experience an episode of mental illness. In Nova Scotia, that is over 181,000 people. Unfortunately, too many of these individuals go untreated and the vast majority of these individuals are silent. This problem is exacerbated by a lack of adequate funding, adequate psychiatric, recruitment, research and program resources. To address these issues, the Dalhousie Department of Psychiatry engaged Colour to develop a strategy to pressure government into action, forcing the development of a comprehensive mental health strategy for Nova Scotia. The Department’s issues are the mental health system’s issues. ONEINFIVE.CA was designed to shed light on these shortfalls.

The concept for the microsite centers on giving a voice to every Nova Scotian who has something to say relating to mental health. These are the stories of everyday Nova Scotians: one person’s account of a psychotic episode, a friend who talks of suicide, or a mom who can’t feel love for her newborn. These stories are not always uplifting, but they are honest, authentic, and will ultimately affect change. ONEINFIVE.CA focuses on a powerful statistic and that statistic becomes humanized through the stories of those people who are impacted everyday. Users can upload their stories in video, audio or written formats, sign an online petition, directly mail templated letters to the Premier or Minister of Health, share the microsite through multiple social networking channels and see all of their initiatives counted on an action meter.

With support of the Province’s Official Opposition, the site was launched in October at Nova Scotia’s Legislature. Several stakeholders and opinion leaders were sought and spoke on the critical issues facing the system and the need for immediate action. Media coverage ensued on Global News, CBC Radio, the Canadian Press, the Chronicle Herald, and Metro.

Since the launch of ONEINFIVE, Health Minister MacDonald, Education Minister Moore, and Premier Dexter have all acknowledged publicly a priority in improving mental health services. ONEINFIVE has become a catalyst for discussion and much debate about mental health in the Legislature and the Government has alluded that a strategy is in the works. The campaign will continue until a mental health strategy is developed.

For more information on the need for a mental health strategy in Nova Scotia, visit www.oneinfive.ca

For more information on Colour, visit the Colour website.