Wellness Promotion
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Learn about PTSD and the signs
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What is BPD?
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition that features acute emotional instability, fear of abandonment and impulsive behaviour. People with BPD often experience rapid mood, difficulty in maintaining relationships, and deep feelings of insecurity about themselves and others.
While many associate BPD with explosive anger and external emotional displays, disorders can be manifested in different ways. Some individuals bend their crisis inwards, known as cool BPD, where emotions are suppressed rather than expressed. This variation makes BPD complicated and sometimes makes it difficult to diagnose, as symptoms may not always be clear to others. Understanding these differences can help with initial recognition, proper support and effective coping BPD strategies.
It affects the way people feel about themselves and others, making it hard to function in everyday life. People with borderline personality disorder have a strong fear of abandonment or being left alone. Even though they want to have loving and lasting relationships, the fear of being abandoned often leads to mood swings and anger. It also leads to impulsiveness and self-injury that may push others away.
Therapy is one of the most effective ways to navigate BPD, especially dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), which helps with emotional regulation and crisis tolerance. Finding healthy emotional outlets such as journaling, art, or exercise can provide relief without bottling emotions. It is also important to determine boundaries – to say no and recognize your own needs can help prevent BPD emotional suppression. Proper comfort, such as meditation or yoga, prioritizing self-care through nutrition and mindfulness practices can improve overall welfare.
There are different types of therapy that may help treat BPD, including:
Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT): DBT can teach you new skills to help you manage your emotions and behaviours and improve relationships in your life.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): This is a structured, goal-oriented type of therapy. You’ll see how your thoughts affect your actions. You can learn to adopt healthier thinking patterns.
Group therapy: Group therapy may help you interact with others more positively and express yourself effectively.
Mentalization-based therapy (MBT): To help improve your relationships, you’ll work on improving your ability to understand and interpret your thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
Schema therapy (ST): You’ll address adverse childhood experiences to help you identify and change negative thoughts and behaviours into healthy ones.
Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP): You’ll work on improving how you see yourself and how you regulate your emotions, especially when it comes to conflicts in relationships.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, (previously known as manic depression) is a mental health condition. Itinvolves cycles of extreme low and high mood. A person with bipolar disorder may cycle between feeling euphoric and extremely energetic (‘manic’) and feeling very low (‘depression’).
The cycle of manic and depressive symptoms is different for everyone. Some people may only experience one episode of mania or hypomania, whereas others might have more frequent mood challenges. Treatment with medication may stop the symptoms or can make them shorter or less intense.
Having bipolar disorder can affect many aspects of a person’s life. With such frequent mood changes it can cause intense highs and deep lows, affecting how they feel about themselves and affect the energy they have and maintaining social connections or even getting out of bed can be difficult.
These changes lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings. Work, hobbies and personal interests can also be affected as concentration comes and goes, making it difficult to stay focused and complete tasks.
Bipolar affects everyone differently, some may have milder symptoms while others have
more intense symptoms.
Medication, therapy, mood tracking and understanding personal triggers that can cause mood changes can be a big help not only for the person with Bipolar but for their family and friends as well.
By knowing the triggers, you can better prepare yourself for the possible mood shift. A proper sleep schedule, a good diet and a healthy social setting help with managing the shifts.
From long wait times, financial struggle, racial discrimination and heavy stigma towards
mental health most people don’t always get the help they need and are left to fall
through the cracks to cope on their own. By building awareness and educating others
we can create a more inclusive and healthy community. Together we can turn Illness
into Wellness.
For immediate help please contact
ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 (Call, chat, or email).
Crisis Line: 310-2222 (no area code needed).
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868.
Gender Dysphoria
Gender is a spectrum. Every person has:
Gender Identity: How we feel internally
Gender Expression: How we demonstrate our gender externally. This is influenced by culture, societal norms, fashion, clothes, and gestures.
Biological Sex: The sex we are assigned at birth.
Sexual Orientation: Who we are physically, spiritually, emotionally, and sexually attracted to
Gender dysphoria is the distress that may come when there is a mismatch between your gender identity and your biological sex.
It is feeling:
- as if you’re trapped in the wrong body or a body you don’t own
- like you belong to the opposite sex, or wishing you could
- like you don’t fit with what you feel
- like you can’t be your authentic self based on the sex of your body.
- as if you could get rid of physical traits
Gender affirming care can benefit trans, nonbinary and cisgender people, but may look different for each person.
Gender dysphoria definitely impacts your overall wellness.
Coping with and Treating Gender Dysphoria
Overcoming gender dysphoria can be approached in 3 ways (or a combination of them):
1. Social,
2. Psychological
3. Medical
Here are some things you can do to deal with Gender Dysphoria. Find what works best for you.
Social Options
Try expressing your gender identity more authentically. This could include
- Clothing and hairstyle choices, or changing their name or pronouns
- Voice training
- Breast binding or chest padding
- Hair removal or hair transplants
- Genital tucking or packing
- Makeup, styling, and other aesthetic choices that align with one’s gender identity
Talk to trusted friends or family about your feelings, identity and preferences. This can reduce your feelings of isolation, and help them to understand what you are going through. Simply being addressed by the correct name and pronouns can improve your mental well-being.
Find an affirming church or other faith community. Your spiritual and social wellbeing will be nurtured in this environment.
Join a support group where you can connect with others navigating similar experiences. These are safe spaces for validation, advice, and shared coping strategies.
Psychological Options
Therapy can help you explore your identity in a safe, affirming space with someone who knows how to navigate this path. It can include:
- Exploring and affirming one’s gender identity
- Building a support network
- Addressing anxiety, depression, or other co-occurring issues
- Developing strategies to come out safely
- Making informed decisions about any medical treatments
Therapy can be offered individually or in group, couple, or family formats, depending on a person’s situation.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) The goal isn’t to change one’s gender identity, but to reduce distress and improve quality of life.
Trauma Therapy can help you come to terms with past abuse or other trauma that is impacting how you think of yourself and the body you live in.
Mindfulness and meditation help you manage anxiety, depression or other issues.
Medical Options
Access to medical treatments often involves assessments from healthcare providers to ensure the individual can give informed consent and that gender dysphoria is well-documented. Not everyone chooses medical options, but of those who do, less than 1% later express regret.
Hormone therapy (testosterone or estrogen) allows you to develop desired secondary sex characteristics and reduce unwanted ones (e.g., facial hair, breast tissue).
Surgery, such as top surgery, bottom surgery, or facial feminization/masculinization, allows your body to be permanently changed to better match your gender identity.
Finding Supports and Resources
OHIP covers psychotherapy for Gender Dysphoria, Hormone Replacement Therapy and Gender Affirming Surgery if you live in Ontario.
Fully OHIP Covered Clinics That Provide Medical and Psychological Treatments
- Planned Parenthood
- CAMH: Gender Identity Clinic
- Sick Kids: Gender Care Clinic
- HQ Toronto (Full service medical clinic for gay men, trans and nonbinary clients)
Clinics that Provide Medical or Psychological Services (may or may not be OHIP Covered)
- Foria Clinic (Virtual Clinic – only partially covered by OHIP)
- Rainbow Health Ontario: Service Provider Directory
Community Programs and Services
Gender-Inclusive Faith Communities
Written by:
Erin Kenny
Community Support Worker (CSW) Student
triOS College, Toronto, Ontario
Depression in Toronto: Mental Health Challenges in a Multicultural, High-Cost City
Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, home to people from diverse cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. While this diversity is a strength, many residents are currently facing serious challenges, including unstable employment, low income, job shortages, rising rent, increasing food prices, and an overall high cost of living. These pressures can significantly affect mental health and increase the risk of depression, particularly among newcomers, racialized communities, and low-income individuals.
Understanding Depression
Depression is a mental health disorder that affects mood, thoughts, and daily functioning. Common symptoms include persistent sadness, low energy, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, changes in appetite, and feelings of hopelessness. In Toronto, financial stress, housing insecurity, and employment instability can intensify these symptoms, making it harder for individuals to cope or seek help.
Coping Strategies in an Urban Context
Some helpful coping strategies include:
- Accessing counselling and mental health services through community agencies
- Maintaining daily routines during periods of unemployment or stress
- Staying socially connected through cultural, family, or faith-based communities
- Engaging in low-cost physical activities such as walking or community programs
- Practicing stress-management techniques like mindfulness or journaling
Depression and the 8 Dimensions of Wellness
Depression affects multiple areas of life:
- Emotional: Persistent sadness and anxiety
- Mental/Intellectual: Difficulty focusing and decision-making
- Physical: Fatigue, sleep issues, and low energy
- Social: Isolation due to stress or cultural barriers
- Occupational: Job instability or difficulty securing employment
- Financial: High living costs, rent burden, and food insecurity
- Spiritual: Loss of purpose or hope
- Environmental: Housing instability and overcrowded living conditions
Addressing depression requires a holistic approach that considers all these interconnected dimensions.
Toronto-Based Community Resources
- Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Toronto – counselling and mental health programs
- Gerstein Crisis Centre – short-term crisis mental health support
- Access Alliance Multicultural Health & Community Services – culturally responsive care for newcomers
- Here 24/7 – mental health and addictions access line
Conclusion
In a high-cost city like Toronto, depression is closely connected to social and economic stressors. Culturally responsive, community-based supports are essential to help individuals regain stability and well-being.
Written by:
Mohammad Hossain
Community Support Worker (CSW) Student
triOS College, Toronto, Ontario
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a mental health condition that some people develop after they experience or witness a traumatic event. The traumatic event may be life-threatening or pose a significant threat to your physical, emotional or spiritual well-being. PTSD affects people of all ages. People with PTSD have intense and intrusive thoughts and feelings related to the experience that last long after the event.
PTSD involves stress responses like:
- Anxiety, depressed mood, or feelings of guilt or shame.
- Having flashbacks or nightmares.
- Avoiding situations, places and activities related to the traumatic event.
- These symptoms cause distress and interfere with your daily functioning.
Additionally, PTSD can cause negative thoughts about themselves, other people and the world. It creates negative emotions of fear, blame, guilt, anger and even shame. People with PTSD deal with memory issues, find themselves feeling detached from family and friends, lose interest in activities they used to enjoy and have difficulty feeling any positive emotion. Being constantly on guard, looking for danger, takes a toll on a person and can lead to self-destructive behaviours, trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating, it can lead to outbursts, sweating with rapid breathing or shaking.
The Canadian Mental Health Association National supplies information and self-help tools that aid individuals to learn about and manage symptoms after trauma. Also includes direct links to support.
Phone: (416)646-5557
E-mail: infor@cmha.ca
What is DMDD?
Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) is a mental health condition that causes chronic, intense irritability and frequent anger outbursts in children. While it’s normal for children to go through periods of moodiness, DMDD is more severe and longer-lasting. The temper outbursts are greatly out of proportion in intensity and/or duration to the situation. The condition disrupts your child’s daily life. Symptoms need to begin before the age of 10 to meet diagnostic criteria.
DMDD symptoms typically begin before the age of 10. Healthcare providers don’t diagnose DMDD in children under 6 or adolescents over 18. Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder is a relatively new diagnosis, so research is lacking to determine just how common it is. Early research shows that it may affect around 2% to 5% of children in the U.S
DMDD is diagnosed when a child has temper tantrums that happen three or more times a week on average, along with an angry mood between tantrums. These symptoms last at least a year, and any break in the symptoms lasts less than three months. The symptoms have to show up with the child’s family, friends and teachers, rather than in just one situation. DMDD usually appears before age ten. It is not diagnosed before age six because temper tantrums are normal for young kids.
The symptoms of DMDD are:
Major temper tantrums that happen three or more times a week on average
Angry or irritable mood between tantrums
Being unable to control extreme emotions
Symptoms of DMDD usually show up before age 10.
The goal in DMDD treatment is to help children learn to control their emotions and stop having temper tantrums. Treatment involves behavioural therapy and sometimes medication. A combination of dialectical behaviour therapy for children (DBT-C) and parent management training has been found to be very helpful in treating DMDD.
In DBT-C, the therapist doesn’t tell the child they should not have angry feelings. Instead, they help the child gain skills to calm themselves down when their feelings get out of control. Parents also learn these skills so that they can help their child and practice staying calm themselves. In parent management training, parents learn how to reward kids for good behaviour instead of giving them attention for bad behaviour.
When therapy is not an option or when therapy alone is not working, medication to help the child control their emotions is sometimes given. Antidepressants and stimulants are the most common medications for DMDD.
DMDD is different from other disorders thatcan look similar, like bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. But kids with DMDD can have certain other disorders at the same time, including ADHD, depression and anxiety. Left untreated, kids with DMDD might also have a bigger chance of developing depression or anxiety as adults.
Schizophrenia
What is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a complex brain disorder. The illness is characterized by disruptions to thinking and emotions, and a distorted perception of
reality. It can also alter behaviour. It usually begins in late adolescence or early adulthood and does not spare any race, culture, class or sex. About 20 to 30 per cent of people with schizophrenia experience only a few brief episodes. For others, it is a chronic condition that can lead to fatalities.
Those with Schizophrenia do not have “split personalities,” and they are not intellectually disabled. It can cause delusions, hallucinations and disorganized thinking. While there’s no cure, treatments like medications and therapy can help manage symptoms. Continued care and support are essential.
Living with Schizophrenia can strain a person’s social life, and it can cause serious mistrust of the people around them, leading to self-isolation. In some cases, they may lose interest in maintaining their personal hygiene, and sometimes their own behaviour makes them reluctant to socialize out of fear of humiliation and rejection.
The constant stigma surrounding mental health creates numerous challenges, including a lack of help and support, inadequate shelter and food, and insufficient resources. Waiting lists for mental health services can be agonizingly long, resulting in many individuals going undiagnosed, unsheltered, and unmedicated without any assistance. People often shun those who seem different, quickly concluding that individuals with mental illness are dangerous and should be avoided. It is disheartening to recognize that many choose to remain uninformed about these issues and continue to treat others harshly.
Places like Ontario Shores and CMHA are great resources for those seeking nonclinical assistance for help coping with day-to-day life through counselling and connections to other resources. Not only are they a great help to those who live with Schizophrenia, but they help support their families as well. When families and communities come together, Illness can become Wellness. Patience, education, understanding, compassion and grace go a long way in the path to helping one another.
Insights for a Healthier,
More Purposeful Life
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Insights for a Healthier,
More Purposeful Life
Expert guidance, real stories, and practical tools across all eight dimensions of wellness — for individuals, providers, and emerging professionals across Ontario.
Featured Article
The Eight Dimensions of Wellness: Why Fixing One Area of Your Life Changes Everything Else
Most people try to fix what’s most visible — the stress, the sleepless nights, the weight gain. But lasting well-being isn’t built one symptom at a time. Discover how FollowUp’s interconnected approach to the eight dimensions of wellness creates change that actually sticks.
Latest Articles
March 10, 2026
5 Morning Routines That Actually Improve Your Mental Clarity (Backed by Research)
Start your day with intention. These evidence-based habits take under 20 minutes and build lasting resilience.
March 7, 2026
How Dr. Emily Thompson Grew Her Practice by 40% in 6 Months Using FollowUp
A registered psychotherapist shares exactly how she reclaimed her time and scaled her client base without burning out.
March 3, 2026
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Feb 19, 2026
The 10-Minute Movement Practice That's More Effective Than an Hour at the Gym
It’s not about intensity — it’s about consistency. A physiotherapist explains the science of micro-movement.
Weekly Wellness Insights
Get the best articles, provider tips, and career resources delivered to your inbox every Tuesday.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. 4,200+ subscribers.
Popular Tags
Ready to Start Your Wellness Journey?
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