A Conversation About Mental Illness With Dr. Ian Dawe - Oakville Chamber of Commerce - YPEG Feb. 16 2017

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The Young Professional and Entrepreneur Group ( YPEG ) of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce invited Dr. Ian Dawe, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, to have a ‘conversation about mental health”.

Dr. Dawe is focused on “co-creating a new kind of mental health care – one that prioritizes personalization, coordination and enablement. He is the Program Chief and Medical Director of Mental Health at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, ON. Dr. Dawe works in collaboration with Trillium’s senior leadership team, its service users and their families, as well as its medical and allied health professionals.”

Personable and extremely knowledgeable, Dr. Dawe is involved with the Bell Let’s Talk campaign and often lectures on topics that include “suicide prevention, mindfulness and workplace mental health”. He touched on these topics during his presentation, outlining the need to be “in the present”. He went on to suggest that we choose Activities, Routines and Triggers that allow us to practice mindfulness and to mindfully carry out these exercises.

It is a statistic that over half of the population has suffered from some form of mental illness and that each one of us knows someone that has or has had a mental illness. It is Dr. Dawe’s goal to create an environment where the topic becomes easier to discuss. “Active patient involvement is essential to patient-centred care for Dr. Dawe.” According to the Trillium Health Partners Foundation “Patients and families are the experts—they have living expertise. We have training and compassion. When we collaborate with patients and each other, we create real change.”

Mental illness is a treatable disease – however – one must be able to openly discuss it to make any difference to the way it is viewed and treated. According to Dr. Dawe, “We also need to take care of ourselves, though mindfulness, proper eating habits. enough sleep and lots of exercise. If we are well ourselves, the job of helping and supporting others becomes easier.” The Canadian Mental Health Association's slogan is, “Wellness, Support and Learning”. Dr. Ian Dawe supports this goal, and his interests include “recovery, tele-mental health, virtual care services, suicide and suicidal behaviours, quality and patient safety, health advocacy and the design and evaluation of mental health delivery systems.”

The Oakville Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to bringing exceptional and informative speakers to its membership. According to the OCC web-site, “The Young Professionals and Entrepreneur Group (YPEG) was launched in 2013 to provide a forum to engage young professionals and entrepreneurs through connection, collaboration, and learning opportunities that enhance and support the Oakville business community. Open to all business professionals, the group is predominantly targeted to those between the ages of 18 and 40 years.

The Oakville Chamber of Commerce recognizes the value that young professionals bring to the Oakville business community and therefore, invite this talented demographic to be a part of the Chamber through YPEG events and/or the broader chamber community. Each year, YPEG hosts a number of events including complimentary Business Socials and a great speaker series. Visit the calendar to find out about the next YPEG event.”