Dos and don'ts for families coping with schizophrenia
This 40-page booklet contains the most frequently asked questions about schizophrenia.
A BCSS Branch is a community based association of people who volunteer their time and energy to help improve the lives of people with serious mental illness and their families.
For more information on how to connect with a branch in your region, please contact provincial office at: (lower mainland): 604.270.7841 Toll Free: 1.888.888.0029 or Email Us
Our online calendar at www.calendar.bcss.org contains support groups, training and events for people with a mental illness and their family and supporters. It is updated regularly and includes events and resources from all over British Columbia.
A fact sheet about the connection between cannabis use and psychosis.
A fact sheet that offers suggestions for family members living with schizophrenia.
This fact sheet helps families recognize a crisis situation and offers suggestions on how to deal with a crisis.
This fact sheet looks at the connection between psychosis and the use of Crystal Methamphetamine.
BCSS presents an educational kit for family and friends of people with schizophrenia.
A fact sheet about disrimination and advocacy.
Mixing drugs or alcohol with an illness like schizophrenia is an alarming new trend. Traveling this risky road has devastating consequences.
A fact sheet on recognizing the warning signs of psychosis.
Information on the importance of early psychosis intervention and treatment.
An online booklet for family, teachers, and friends that looks at the causes, symptoms and treatments of psychosis.
Some printable booklet files.
This video tells the story of Emily.
The rights of families living with schizophrenia.
The Family Respite Program provides a modest amount of funding to families to pay for activities or services to help give family members helping their ill relative a break or rest. As families are all different, each family is helped to come up with a respite plan that works for them. Please click on the link above for more details.
The program matches volunteers with persons who are family members of persons with a serious and persistent mental illness. The volunteers, who are also family members of a person with a mental illness, provide peer listening and some information during a weekly phone call or visit. The program is now underway in selected regions of BC and is being looked at for implementation as far away as New Zealand.
The Family Toolkit is designed to assist families in caring for a family member with a mental illness by providing information and practical resources.
This program has been replaced by the Strengthening Families Together program.
A 2004 booklet for families to explain BC's forensic psychiatry services.
Common FAQs about schizophrenia
This resource may be useful to people who would like to understand the rules and procedures in place in BC around mental illness, police involvement, involuntary treatment, etc…
How to plan for when your ill family member is released from hospital.
How to help a loved one when they return home from the hospital.
People with schizophrenia sometimes experience symptoms that are difficult for the individual, friends, family members, professionals and others to deal with. This article offers some helpful suggestions.
Guidelines for families when dealing with medical and mental health professionals.
This document lists the information that families need regarding all facets of schizophrenia and psychosis.
The Kids in Control Support Group Program gives information, education and support to children eight to thirteen years of age who have a parent with a serious mental illness.
An article by Theresa H.M. Moore, MSc, from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and colleagues was published in the July 28 issue of The Lancet. Moore compared the results of several research studies that followed people over a period of time (systematic review of longitudinal studies). She found that there is enough new evidence that the use of cannabis (marijuana) increases the risk for later psychotic illness by roughly 40%.
Information on some of the drugs used to treat psychosis and schizophrenia
This fact sheet gives general information on using medications and other methods to treat schizophrenia
This audio commercial, suitable for radio use talks about how schizophrenia affects 1 in every 100 people.
Schizophrenia is a devastating mental illness that touches the lives of 1 in 100 people.
Partnership Education is based on a personal storytelling model. It is a unique and powerful presentation that helps people in the community to understand the nature and prevalence of chronic and severe mental illness.
A puppet show that educates grade 4/5 students in order to give them accurate information and to dispel the myths and misunderstandings about mental illness.
A fact sheets for new moms and their family and friends.
This document provides basic information on several types of mental illness including schizophrenia, mood disorders, panic disorders and addictions.
Information on coping when someone you care about with psychosis is experiencing depression
This 4 page fact sheet in pdf format gives helpful tips for families and friends on how to handle psychosis symptoms.
A Checklist for Families of Patients with Schizophrenia & Other Serious Mental Illnesses
Recommended reading list on schizophrenia.
This fact sheet from the provincial ministry of health provides guidelines for releasing clients' information to third parties such as family or friends of the client or health care providers.
Sample Consent form for the verbal release of information to family members
Fact sheets on schizophrenia are available in Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Spanish, translated with a grant from the World Assembly for Mental Health. Click on the above link for more.
Click on the link above for a listing of schizophrenia societies in Canada.
The basic facts about schizophrenia
This booklet was published due to requests from family members who have a spouse ill with schizophrenia, for information specific to their needs. (click on the link above to view)
Some information on working with hallucinations.
Steps for working with delusions.
Findings from a focum held December 2004 (pdf format report)
Do you have a relative or friend with a serious mental illness? Strengthening Families Together is a 10-session group for families and friends, which provides information, skill-building, and support.
Sign up here for our e-newsletters for family members, mental health professionals, educators and aboriginal community members to keep posted on BCSS events, resources and advocacy.
Videos about schizophrenia and psychosis.
A chart that shows the changes in a family caregiver's needs over time.
A psychoeducational board game about psychosis for families including a person recovering from psychosis.
A booklet in pdf format designed to be printed on letter sized paper and folded.
A booklet from the Discover the Facts booklet series
Fact sheet in pdf format. A good general audience introduction to psychosis.
A fact sheet for teen siblings of persons suffering from psychosis.
Fact sheet for young children in pdf format