User:Rpaylor/sandbox

Article Evaluation: Bell Let's Talk

• The article does a great job staying relevant to the topic of the social movement, Bell Let's Talk. There were only two instances where campaigns that stemmed from the Bell movement were described in detail, but they were still relevant to the overall topic. The organization of the article also made it easy to follow and connect to the main theme. The article has been frequently updated, and even has detailed additions from the current year.
• On first glance, the article seemed very objective with facts to back statements. After reading the warning sign that the main contributor is closely related to the subject and most citations were based off primary sources, it appeared to me that the article wasn't so neutral. There has been lots of criticism over the intent of the movement, specifically that it was a way to get free advertising, opposed to the declared mission statement of aiding mental health issues. The article makes many claims about the intentions of the company, and I think it is impossible to make assumptions on someone else's intentions. However, if I were to have not read the warning message or checked sources, I would not have noticed the bias.
• The criticism section of the article is underrepresented. It only includes a couple short paragraphs at the bottom of the page, and doesn't provide much detail to the full scope of criticism the movement received.
• Out of all the citations I checked, all the links worked and supported the claims of the article
• Most all facts are cited with a reference, but many of those references are from a primary source. The bias is noted as a warning message in the beginning of the article referencing the need for more neutral sources and content.
• Much of the Talk page includes discussion on how to make the article less biased with fewer primary sources. there is also talk about condensing sections and paying close attention to minor edits like word choice.
• The article received a B-class rating. It is also a part WikiProject Television and WikiProject Canada.
• Contribution to the article's Talk page: Talk:Bell Let's Talk
  • Agreed. I think that continuous yearly updates isn't sustainable in the long-term and contributes to the article being written like an advertisement. The information about the organizations that received donations is also rather lengthy. Maybe summarizing the total contributions and referencing key impacts like the largest endowments, the most note-able research projects, and supporters of the campaign would help condense the section? --Rpaylor (talk) 02:56, 5 February 2020 (UTC)

Canadian Mental Health Association

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is the Canadian association founded on April 26, 1918 by Dr. Clarence M. Hincks and Clifford W. Beers. Originally named the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene, it is one of the largest and oldest voluntary health organizations operating in Canada.

Each year, CMHA divisions and branches across Canada provide service to more than 1.3 million Canadians annually through the combined efforts of more than 10,000 volunteers and 5,000 staff in locally run organizations in more than 300 communities in every province. Its functions are to provide the resources and programs necessary to combat mental health issues and support recovery.

History

Creation

The Canadian Mental Health Association originally began as the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene (CNCMH), founded by Dr. Clarence M. Hincks and Clifford W. Beers on April 26, 1918. Hincks was very interested in the field because he had experienced bouts of mental illness and noticed a lack of support for veterans' mental health.

The first meeting of the organization included objectives like a psychiatric examination of recruits, adequate care of returned soldiers suffering from mental disabilities, a mental examination of immigrants to ensure a better selection of newcomers, adequate facilities for the diagnosis and treatment of cases of mental disease, adequate care of the mentally deficient, and prevention of mental disease and deficiency.

Hincks then worked on finding medical professionals to join the committee such as C.K. Clarke, Dean of Medicine and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and the medical faculty of McGill. Hincks then established a Board of Directors, including Lord Shaughnessy, President of the CPR; Richard B. Angus, Montreal financier and philanthropist; Dr. C.F. Martin, Professor of Medicine, McGill University; Sir Vincent Meredith, President, Bank of Montreal; and F.W. Molson, President of Molson's Brewery.

Hincks gained support through "drawing-room meetings" where socially prominent women invited their wealthy and influential friends for afternoon teas. Co-founder Clifford W. Beers, would then present on Beers' mental illness and the sometimes abusive treatment he received. The strategy was extended to homes of friends in Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa, and it proved successful by recruiting an impressive list of potential members and donors.

The first official meeting of the CNCMH was held in Ottawa on April 26, 1918. A provisional constitution was adopted, Dr C.F. Martin, Professor of Medicine at McGill University, was elected President, Dr C.K. Clarke was appointed Medical Director, and Dr. C.M. Hincks was appointed Associate Medical Director and Secretary.

Hospital Surveys

Lieutenant Colonel Colin Russel soon gave the CNCMH an opportunity to undertake a project. Russel was the consultant neurologist to the Department of Soldiers and had visited many of the provincial mental hospitals which were caring for soldier patients. He was particularly distressed with those facilities in Manitoba. That province's government included with the mental hospitals in the province, all the institutions presently caring for the mentally disordered or defective including jails, schools, special homes and juvenile courts.

On September 30, 1918, Hincks and Keyes arrived in Winnipeg, where they visited several institutions. They also toured the Salvation Army Industrial Home and the Home for Incurables in Portage la Prairie and were so shocked by what they found that they immediately returned to Winnipeg to consult with government representatives. The CNCMH prepared a confidential report on its findings which was submitted to the government and the Public Welfare Commission.

As a result of the Manitoba Survey, and that province's quick response in implementing the recommendations, other provinces became interested in having similar surveys. During the next four years, requests for surveys were received from British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. As in Manitoba, these surveys included all institutions. Results of these surveys, however, have had controversial implications, including how they were used to argue for pro-sterilization policies by the Alberta Eugenics Board and in the form of the Sexual Sterilization Act of Alberta.

The CNCMH also was very involved in the plight of soldiers. It became evident to Hincks that soldiers under care were not receiving adequate treatment. Assisted by Miss Keyes, Dr. Clarke conducted a quick inspection of soldier patients in 10 hospitals in the western. The results of this preliminary survey were published in 1920. Highlighting the problem of shell shock and other neuropsychiatric disorders affecting so many able-bodied men helped pave the way for the work of the National Committee.

Schoolchildren Surveys

Schools were other areas of involvement. Dr. Hincks and Dr. Helen MacMurchy pressed for surveys to assess the extent of mental retardation and other psychiatric disorders among schoolchildren and to provide support for the establishment of auxiliary classes for the special education of such children. In its first five years, the CNCMH built a firm foundation for meeting the objectives established in 1918. Surveys on the care and treatment of people suffering from mental disorders were conducted in every province. Mental hospitals in all provinces, except Ontario and Quebec, were inspected at the request of provincial governments. The extent of mental disorder was found to be greater than expected, and preventive programs were non-existent. Under the committee's recommendations, provincial governments spent over six million dollars on improving facilities for the mentally ill.

CNCMH surveys of schoolchildren, conducted in several centres in Ontario and Quebec, resulted in over 150 special classes for retarded children being established by school boards. Mental Hygiene clinics were promoted and, in some cases, partially supported. A study of the psychiatric screening of immigrants resulted in a reduction in the number of new Canadians with mental disorders. The problem of "shell shock" and the rehabilitation of soldiers suffering from mental and nervous disorders was addressed through co-operation with DSCR and the Director General of Medical Services in the army. A beginning was made on public and professional education in mental hygiene and psychiatry.