A view from CAMH.(Centre for Addiction & Mental Health)

We a know the facts: Approximately 350,000 Canadians live with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Each year there are 31,000 hospitalizations more than 2.3 million hospital days--and direct and indirect costs over $7 billion. But these costs do not adequately reflect the impact of the illness on individuals and their families. Recent studies have reported that people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia are more likely to develop physical illness. This results in a lifespan shortened by up to 15 per cent.

This is grim reading, but there is hope on the horizon. Medication has improved the outlook for many through symptom control. But there is now a resurgence of interest in the wider factors that can reprove outcomes for people with serious mental health problems. The aim is to move on from a target of symptoms reduction towards recovery.

This is happening at various levels. The Mental Health Commission of Canada [MHCC) has embraced recovery and family and consumer involvement as important facets of its vision of care. The MHCC has recently finished the consultation process on the goals for its national strategy and ...