Clients are asking...Breakthrough Spring 2005

Breakthrough

Bill of Client Rights

"I've heard that CAMH recently passed a Bill of Client Rights. What is this?"

Jane Paterson, Deputy Chief of Professional Services responds:

The Bill of Client Rights was developed to promote the dignity and worth of all people who use the services of CAMH. The Bill expresses that clients are first and foremost human beings with the same rights as every Canadian.

This Bill is a result of the collaborative partnership between CAMH and the Empowerment Council, and the Bill was developed through a process of extensive consultation with clients, CAMH staff, and members of other interested organizations.

CAMH's Board of Trustees passed the Bill of Client Rights on December 9, 2004. On Wednesday, April 6, 2005 clients and their families, staff and community partners came together at our Queen Street site for the launch of the Bill. The Bill of Client Rights is currently being implemented throughout the organization, including the education and training of all staff regarding the Bill.

The Bill is posted on our website and hard copies are available through the Client Relations office, the office of Nursing Practice & Professional Services and the Empowerment Council.

The Bill consists of ten rights, as follows:

1. Right to be Treated with Respect.
2. Right to Freedom from Harm.
3. Right to Dignity and Independence.
4. Right to Quality Services that Comply with Standards.
5. Right to Effective Communication.
6. Right to be Fully Informed.
7. Right to Make an Informed Choice, and Give Informed Consent to Treatment.
8. The Right to Support.
9. Rights in Respect of Research and Teaching.
10. Right to Make a Complaint.

If you have any questions, compliments or concerns about services at CAMH or regarding the Client Bill of Rights please call our Client Relations Co-ordinator at 416 535-8501 ext. 2028.

The Empowerment Council offers independent systemic advocacy for clients. For more information on the Empowerment Council call: 416 535-8501

• ext. 4022, College Street site,
• ext. 3013, Queen Street site,
• ext. 7020, Russell Street site.

Is my daughter at risk for psychosis?

"Recently my daughter has had trouble concentrating and on occasions has been hearing voices that she knows aren't really there. Is she at risk of developing psychosis?"

Dr. Jean Addington, Clinical Psychologist in the First Episode Psychosis Program responds:

The PRIME Clinic at CAMH can help. The PRIME clinic is dedicated to the early identification and treatment of people ages 14 to 30 that are at risk of developing psychosis.

The goal of the PRIME clinic is to identify and treat early signs of psychosis as soon as possible. Psychosis happens when a person loses contact with reality and cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is not. Psychosis usually appears in a person's late teens or early twenties. About three out of every 100 people will have a psychotic episode in their lifetime. There is a ten to twenty per cent risk of psychosis for individuals who have a first degree relative with schizophrenia.

The people that PRIME helps are young people who become distressed by changes in their thoughts, perceptions, and feelings. These changes may be difficult to describe to others and often become a source of concern for young people and their families. Mental and emotional problems are like physical problems; the sooner they are treated, the better. In the past it was common to delay active treatment until clear signs of psychosis appeared. However, the longer an illness is left untreated, the greater the disruption to the person's ability to study, work, make friends and interact comfortably with others.

Mental and emotional changes are early signs that someone could be at risk for psychosis. These changes usually happen before more serious symptoms develop. These early signs are vague; sometimes people barely notice them.

They include:

• Trouble concentrating or thinking clearly;
• trouble understanding what is heard or read;
• confusion about what is real or imaginary;
• hearing voices or seeing things that aren't really there;
• feeling that the world has become strange and unreal;
• preoccupation with religion or superstitions;
• feeling suspicious or paranoid;
• disorganized speech, racing thoughts or slowed-down thoughts;
• irrational ideas of special identity or abilities;
• problems with social activities, at work or at school;
• withdrawal from family and friends;
• flat emotions, decrease in facial expressions, monotone speech.

At the PRIME clinic clients receive assessment, monitoring and support if they are thought to be at risk of developing a psychotic illness. PRIME offers a range of treatments to decrease symptoms and strengthen coping strategies. Ultimately, we hope that these interventions will prevent the development of a psychotic illness.

The PRIME Clinic is one of the leading clinics in North America in studying possible ways to prevent or delay the onset of psychosis. The idea of prevention and reducing risk, although not new in medicine, is only gaining momentum in mental health practice.

The PRIME Clinic is housed independently in a Victorian House in a central downtown location close to the University of Toronto at 252 College Street which is adjacent to the College Street site of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. We are fully affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

For more information, please contact:
PRIME CLINIC
252 College St.
Toronto, ON  M5T 1R7
Telephone: 416 260-4188
Fax: 416 260-4166.

• Print Bookmark