BC Schizophrenia Society Newsletter:
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Diana Hsu Memorial Endowment

Pictured above: Jean Hsu – Daughter of Diana Hsu, Otto Forgacs, President, MIND Foundation of BC, Jane Duval, Executive Director, BC Schizophrenia Society, Gerhart Pahl, Director, MIND Foundation and BC Schizophrenia Society
In 1982 Diana Hsu became very familiar with the stigma and misconceptions associated with mental illness after one of her five daughters was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Diana became aware of the lack of effective treatment for schizophrenia and the lack of research funds available for this illness. She felt the impact of this illness on her daughter and the life of her family. She learned that because of the associated stigma, schizophrenia research was drastically under-funded compared to other major diseases.
As you may be aware, schizophrenia is not uncommon – it occurs in about 1 percent of the population, often striking first in adolescence and young adulthood. It is caused by biochemical changes in the brain. It is frequently a devastating illness causing emotional upheavals and great distress not only for the person who has the disorder, but the family as well. Life for such families becomes a bumpy ride. The pulse of the family rides with the ups and downs of the person with the illness.
Diana became aware that the BC Schizophrenia Society had just raised funds to establish the first ever Chair of Schizophrenia at the University of British Columbia. She joined the cause with the hope that if more people, including the medical profession, had a better understanding of schizophrenia, it would one day be viewed like any other serious illness which requires treatment and medication. It was her belief that better understanding, increased awareness and more effective treatment could only come through scientific research.
She became a generous supporter of the Dr. Norma Calder Schizophrenia Foundation which had been formed by the BC Schizophrenia Society to support research in British Columbia. She also willed the bulk of her estate to this organization to support the cause in which she so strongly believed.
When she died in 2007, her executors (daughters Jean and Elizabeth) discovered that the Calder Foundation had been re-named Mind Foundation of BC. They were able to work closely with the Foundation Board and were reassured that the Board shared the goals of the bequest and had the capability to carry out their mother’s wishes. Reassured, they requested that the funds be invested in a way which would commemorate their mother and continue her support of Schizophrenia research in British Columbia. As a result of Diana’s generosity and commitment the MIND Foundation has established the Diana Hsu Memorial Endowment through the Vancouver Foundation. Interest and dividends will be passed on to the Mind Foundation, to support Diana’s intended purpose, and hopefully bring her dream of stigma-free acceptance of schizophrenia, and perhaps a cure, a little
closer.
Sue Saunders
Chair: Planned Giving
Mind Foundation of BC Schizophrenia Society
If you would like more information on how to donate to support the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society, please visit our website or call us at 1-888-888-0029 (604-270-7841)
For information on how to make arrangements to give to the BC Schizophrenia Society through estate planning (leaving a bequest), please call us at the number above or visit this page on our website.
Metacognitive Training Manuals Available
Metacognitive Training (MCT) is a program to help people living with schizophrenia or psychosis. It is designed to be used as a complement to medication, to help people examine distorted thinking and prevent delusions.
You can learn more and download the program modules at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf website at www.uke.de/mkt.
MCT was co-developed by Dr. Todd S. Woodward at the University of BC and the BC Mental Health and Addiction Research Institute.
You can also read Dr. Woodward’s article on MCT here
Studies looking for Participants
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