Tag: Zulyniak

Reading of the Week: Suicide in Canada; Also, School Cellphone Restrictions and Uebel on Irritability

October 22, 2026 / / 0 Comments

From the Editor

This week, we turn closer to home. All the selections are from The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. The Canadian connection includes the journal, of course, as well as the data and topics. That said, these topics – suicide, school cellphone restrictions, and irritability – are relevant for those in my home country and elsewhere.

In the first selection, Sara Zulyniak (of the University of Calgary) and her co-authors look at suicide trends in Canada from 2000 to 2024, drawing on Statistics Canada data. “Overall trends and many Canadian age and sex groups have seen declining rates of suicide mortality beginning in 2018, though some young female groups have continued to have increasing rates of suicide from 2000 to 2024.” We consider the paper and its implications.

In the second selection, Kimberley C. Tsujimoto (of the Hospital for Sick Children) and her co-authors analyzed data on the early implementation of school cellphone restrictions in Ontario and the association with screen use and mental health outcomes for children and youth. “We found that greater adherence to school cellphone restrictions was associated with lower social media use, and subsequently fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms.”

In the third selection, Michael Uebel (of The University of Texas at Austin) writes about irritability in depression and anxiety. “Irritability carries information that standard depression scales miss, and that tracking it offers an early, actionable read on whether to continue or modify a treatment.”

DG

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Reading of the Week: Suicide and Gender in Canada; Also, Access and Immigrants (CJP), and Chok on Variations on a Theme (CMAJ)

June 3, 2021 /

From the Editor

This week, we have three selections; all are from Canadian publications.

Suicide rates have been declining in this country. In the first selection, Sara Zulyniak (of the University of Calgary) and her co-authors look at suicide by age and gender, drawing on almost two decades’ worth of data. In their analysis, there is a surprising finding: “The suicide rates in females aged 10 to 19 and 20 to 29 were increasing between 2000 and 2018. In comparison, no male regression results indicated significantly increasing rates.” This research letter, just published in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, is short and relevant.

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In the second selection, also from The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Joanna Marie B. Rivera (of Simon Fraser University) and her co-authors consider access to care. They focus on immigrants and nonimmigrants, noting differences in the way care is provided for those with mood disorders. “People with access to team-based primary care are more likely to report mental health consultations, and this is especially true for immigrants. Unfortunately, immigrants, and especially recent immigrants, are more likely to see a doctor in solo practice or use walk-in clinics as a usual place of care.”

Finally, in our third selection from CMAJ, Dr. Rozalyn Chok (of the University of Alberta), a pianist who is now a resident of paediatrics, describes a performance at a mental hospital. “I still hear exactly how it sounded on that tinny upright piano. I feel the uneven weighting of the keys, remember how difficult it was to achieve the voicing – the balance of melody and harmony – I wanted.” She reflects on the piece she played, and its impact on a patient.

DG

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