It's a hard reality that mental illness and substance use often coincide. Combine these factors with poverty and social marginalization, and you have the snowballing problem known as "concurrent disorders." Dr. Bill MacEwan has spent the last 20+ years working with patients in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood that is home to around 20,000 people with almost 25% of the people suffering from mental illness. He's also the medical lead for the city's Downtown Community Court psychiatric teams.  Host Faydra Aldridge speaks with Dr. MacEwan about the intersection of mental illness, drugs, and the criminal justice system.

Additional Resources: 
Dr. Bill MacEwan Bio
Mental illness and significant cognitive impairment among marginalized adults in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
Profound suffering at the heart of our beautiful city seems to defy all attempts to relieve it
The Hotel Study: Multimorbidity in a Community Sample Living in Marginal Housing
Building Community Society - for more details about next steps
Visions Journal: Concurrent Disorders (2004, Vol 2 (1))

Homelessness, Mental Health and Substance Use: Understanding the Connections (Canadian Institute of Substance Use Research)

It's a hard reality that mental illness and substance use often coincide. Combine these factors with poverty and social marginalization, and you have the snowballing problem known as "concurrent disorders." Dr. Bill MacEwan has spent the last 20+ years working with patients in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood that is home to around 20,000 people with almost 25% of the people suffering from mental illness. He's also the medical lead for the city's Downtown Community Court psychiatric teams.&nbsp; Host Faydra Aldridge speaks with Dr. MacEwan about the intersection of mental illness, drugs, and the criminal justice system. Additional Resources:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://oddsquad.com/consultants/dr-bill-macewan/">Dr. Bill MacEwan Bio</a></li>
<li><a href="http://med-fom-ubcmj.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2017/03/v8i1-feature4.pdf">Mental illness and significant cognitive impairment among marginalized adults in Vancouver&rsquo;s Downtown Eastside</a></li>
<li><a href="https://vancouversun.com/opinion/dr-bill-macewan-and-paul-sullivan-profound-suffering-at-the-heart-of-our-beautiful-city-seems-to-defy-all-attempts-to-relieve-it">Profound suffering at the heart of our beautiful city seems to defy all attempts to relieve it</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.12111439?">The Hotel Study: Multimorbidity in a Community Sample Living in Marginal Housing</a></li>
<li><a href="https://buildingcommunitysociety.org/">Building Community Society - for more details about next steps</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/visions/concurrent-disorders-vol2">Visions Journal: Concurrent Disorders (2004, Vol 2 (1))</a><a href="https://buildingcommunitysociety.org/"> </a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/sites/default/files/homelessness-mental-health-and-substance-use.pdf">Homelessness, Mental Health and Substance Use: Understanding the Connections (Canadian Institute of Substance Use Research)</a></li>
</ul>

"Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined” is a groundbreaking podcast brought to you by the BC Schizophrenia Society and supporting partners. Host Faydra Aldridge, CEO of BCSS, and co-host Melissa McKenna, Marketing and Communications Manager at BCSS, speak with medical experts, families, and people with lived experience of mental illness to dispel myths and get to the truth. Be prepared for frank conversations, up-to-date medical information, immersive sound design, and stories of hope and resilience. This podcast is for anyone whose life has been touched by mental illness. In other words, it’s for everyone.

"Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined” is a groundbreaking podcast brought to you by the BC Schizophrenia Society and supporting partners. Host Faydra Aldridge, CEO of BCSS, and co-host Melissa McKenna, Marketing and Communications Manager at BCSS, speak with medical experts, families, and people with lived experience of mental illness to dispel myths and get to the truth. Be prepared for frank conversations, up-to-date medical information, immersive sound design, and stories of hope and resilience. This podcast is for anyone whose life has been touched by mental illness. In other words, it’s for everyone.

Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined

"Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined” is a groundbreaking new podcast brought to you by the BC Schizophrenia Society and supporting partners. The podcast brings forward the humanity of mental illness while dispelling the myths by sharing the voices of medical experts, family members, and people with lived experience with mental illness.

Host Faydra Aldridge, CEO of BCSS, speaks with medical experts, families, and people with lived experience of mental illness to dispel myths and get to the truth. Be prepared for frank conversations, up-to-date medical information, immersive sound design, and stories of hope and resilience. This podcast is for anyone whose life has been touched by mental illness. In other words, it’s for everyone.

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