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Hello! I want to die, please fix me : depression in the first person / by Paperny, Anna Mehler,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Frank, eye-opening, heartbreaking and disarmingly funny, Anna Mehler Paperny is a fabulous, vibrant new voice. In her galvanizing memoir-meets-exposé, writing with riveting vitality and intelligence about surviving suicide and the ways we try to talk about and treat depression, she has discovered what eludes many: a way to reach out to us to talk about one of the increasingly concerning medical issues today. An energetic tour-de-force of empathy and desire for understanding, Hello! I Want to Die, Please Fix Me is compelling reading, as well as essential for anyone curious to understand how it feels to be depressed, or whose life, family or friends has been touched by depression. Anna Mehler Paperny is a young journalist from Toronto--a smart, passionate reporter who has contributed to the Toronto Star, Global News, The Globe and Mail, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and just about every major news outlet you can think of. In her early-twenties, while thriving in her dream job, enjoying warm familial support and a strong social network of friends and colleagues, Anna found herself trapped by feelings of failure and despair. In September 2011, she made her first attempt to kill herself by ingesting a deadly mix of sleeping pills and antifreeze, landing her in the ICU followed by weeks of enforced detention in two different big-city psych wards. This was Anna's entry point into the labyrinthine psychiatric care system--one that is nominally responsible for providing the best reasonable care to millions of Canadians suffering from severe, life-threatening mental illness. Her first stay in the psych ward--at times horrifying, other times boring, hilarious and absurd--was just the beginning of a long recovery and a journey towards understanding, first-hand, the myriad ways our systems and medical practitioners treat--and fail to treat--a disease that afflicts a full fifth of the population. While trying to be a good patient, Anna cannot help but turn her intrepid journalist's eye on the world around her--in the psych ward, as an outpatient, as a survivor enduring the gruelling ordeal of facing concerned family, friends and co-workers; of finding the right meds, the right therapist; of staying insured and employed. Anna's personal account of life in the shadow of self-obliteration explores in searing detail her individual experience of depression, close encounters with fatal self-harm, and the trials and errors of treatment. It is at the same time an illuminating, profound, and utterly original analysis of how we approach mental illness in North America; the novel hypotheses specialists are putting forward to tackle it; and the truth about how primitive our methods of healing sick brains still are."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Paperny, Anna Mehler.; Paperny, Anna Mehler; Mental health services; Depressed persons; Depressed persons; Depression, Mental; Journalists; Depressed persons;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Health for all : a doctor's prescription for a healthier Canada / by Philpott, Jane,1960-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."From one of Canada's most respected and high-profile health professionals (and former federal Minister of Health), a timely, practical, ambitious, and deeply personal call for action on health that sets out the roadmap to our future well-being. Jane Philpott has spent her life learning what makes people sick and what keeps people well. She has witnessed miracles in modern medicine. She has also watched children die of starvation in a world that has plenty of food. With Health for All, she sounds a clarion call for a radical disruption in a health care system that is broken--but not beyond repair. The vision is rooted in a deep-seated commitment to health equity. Decades ago, a few visionary Canadian leaders put laws in place to ensure health care insurance for all. But the structures to deliver that care were never fully developed as envisioned. As a result, our health systems are not comprehensive or well-coordinated. In the wake of a pandemic, we risk it all falling apart. More than six million people have no family doctor, nor any other access to primary care. Emergency rooms are routinely closed. Exhausted health workers wonder if it will ever get better. Some say we should hand health care over to the private sector. But to abandon our commitment to publicly funded health care now would only lead to more expensive and less equitable care. Philpott outlines a different solution--an ambitious, once-in-a-generation reset of health systems with universal access to primary care teams. What sets this book apart is that it's more than a prescription for better medical care. Philpott looks at the big picture of health for all. This includes an intimate look at the personal roots of well-being: hope, belonging, meaning, and purpose. Then, through real-life stories, she examines the impact of the social determinants of health. Finally, she explains that none of this will happen without the political will to do the hard work of rebuilding a healthy society. The remedy we await is serious leadership to implement what we already know and to put the well-being of Canadians at the top of the agenda"--
Subjects: Medical policy; Public health;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Clearing the fog : from surviving to thriving with Long COVID : a practical guide / by Jackson, James C.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.""An essential guide" (Mark Hyman, author of Young Forever) to navigating life with the cognitive and mental health impairments that often accompany Long Covid. Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, the shocking mortality figures obscured the fact that death is not the only adverse outcome of the virus. Today, as many as 30 percent of Covid-19 survivors still experience symptoms long after their acute illness has passed, with cognitive and mental health problems especially prominent. For long haulers, this struggle with Long Covid has irrevocably changed their lives. Many have lost their ability to work, attend school, and look after their children. They often feel misunderstood and dismissed by others. Their once-full lives are now filled only with doctors' appointments that seem more and more futile. In Clearing the Fog, neuropsychologist Dr. James C. Jackson offers people suffering from Long Covid and their families a roadmap to help them manage their "new normal." Focusing on cognitive impairment and mental health issues, he shows readers: The ways in which they can manifest and disrupt; Suggestions for how and when to seek professional evaluations; Science-based treatment options and strategies; Information on navigating health care systems and disability insurance; Validation and hope as patients wrestle with their new diagnosis. In addition, Dr. Jackson shares his own experience with chronic illness, relating to long haulers with vulnerability and compassion. Through moving stories as well as hands-on guidance, Clearing the Fog will help long haulers understand their current situation while offering multiple ways to address it, make sense of it, and move through it with the goal of thriving instead of merely surviving."--
Subjects: Post COVID-19 condition (Disease);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Unsettled : how the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy failed the victims of the American overdose crisis / by Hampton, Ryan,author.; Aron, Hillel,author.; Foster, Claire Rudy,author.;
A shocking inside account of reckless capitalism and injustice in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case. In September 2019, Purdue Pharma--the maker of OxyContin and a company controlled by the infamous billionaire Sackler family--filed for bankruptcy to protect itself from 2,600 lawsuits for its role in fueling the U.S. overdose crisis. Author and activist Ryan Hampton served as co-chair of the official creditors committee that acted as a watchdog during the process, one of only four victims appointed among representatives of big insurance companies, hospitals, and pharmacies. He entered the case believing that exposing the Sacklers and mobilizing against Purdue would be enough to right the scales of justice. But he soon learned that behind closed doors, justice had plenty of other competition-and it came with a hefty price tag. Unsettled is the inside story of Purdue's excruciating Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, the company's eventual restructuring, and the Sackler family's evasion of any true accountability. It's also the untold story of how a group of determined ordinary people tried to see justice done against the odds-and in the face of brutal opposition from powerful institutions and even government representatives. Although America was envisioned as an equitable place, where the vulnerable are protected from the greed of the powerful, the corporate-bankruptcy process betrays those values. In its heart of hearts, this system is built to shield the ultra-wealthy, exploit loopholes for political power, promote gross wealth inequality, and allow companies such as Purdue Pharma to run amok. The real story of the Purdue bankruptcy wasn't that the billion-dollar corporation was a villain, a serial federal offender. No matter what the media said, Purdue didn't do this alone. They were aided and abetted by the very systems and institutions that were supposed to protect Americans. Even on-your-side elected officials worked against Purdue's victims-maintaining the status quo at all costs. Americans deserve to know exactly who is responsible for failing to protect people over profits-and what a human life is worth to corporations, billionaires, and lawmakers. Unsettled is what happened behind closed doors-the story of a sick, broken system that destroyed millions of lives and let the Sacklers off almost scot-free.
Subjects: Purdue Pharma L.P.; Bankruptcy; Opioid abuse; Pharmaceutical industry;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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