Friday, July 29, 2016 5 Brooklin Town Crier Meet Davey the Deer Local Teacher Co-Authors Book on Children's Mental Health By Barbara Howe Rosaleigh Neal first experienced symptoms of anxiety when she was a university student 15 years ago. Now a York Catholic School Board (YCDSB) teacher, Neal is seeing those same symptoms in some of her Grade 2 students. That was when she decided to write a children's picture book series about mental disorders. The first in the series, "Davey the Deer - Let's talk about Depression," was published last month. Neal said the book is not only aimed at children, but also parents, educators and medical practitioners. The idea was two-fold, she said. "To have kids identify as well as parents and teachers realize that sometimes it's out of their ability to control it. So they have to take that next step." Neal learned there was no children-focused series to address mental health issues. She sought the help of her aunt, Dr. Grace Vitale, a registered YCDSB psychologist, and together they developed and shaped the book. "When I first started in my field," said Dr. Vitale, "there was not so much emphasis on mental health. It was all learning issues. Mental health was not a big concern. Now every referral I get is to do with mental health." Even her own eight-year-old daughter constantly worries about things. Early symptoms Illustrated by Luigi Cannavicci, the book is the story of Davey the Deer who is showing early symptoms of depression. It depicts his lack of appetite, interest and listlessness in activities he loved. The story also shows his family's support and the importance of a visit to the family doctor to rule out a physical issue. "You have to see your medical doctor first," said Dr. Vitale, "before you jump the gun, before you see a psychologist." For Neal, in addition to her own experience, the alarming statistics also spoke out. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCOC), "In any given year, one in five people in Canada experiences mental health problems or illness. Up to 70 per cent of young adults living with mental health problems report the symptoms started in childhood." The authors agreed the cause of this shift in the diagnosis of mental health issues is not clear. Vitale said it may be exposure to social media and all the images children see on the internet. "Significantly, now there is an increased risk if the parents have mental health issues," she said. The treatment of mental health issues is also expensive while community waiting lists for therapy are often between eight months to a year. Still a stigma "There is a huge stigma, but mental health is rarely spoken about," said Vitale. "With depression there is a greater risk of suicide. So, parents are better off dealing with it when their kids are young rather than waiting until their kids get older." This approach is endorsed on the MHCOC website which states, "Of the 4000 Canadian who die every year as a result of suicide, most were confronting a mental health problem or illness. Children who have mental health problems are more likely to become adolescents and then adults with mental health problems and illnesses." The concern about the number of children and youth experiencing mental health problems is reflected in the Ontario Ministry of Education 2013 resource document for educators, 'Supporting Minds.' The guide provides teachers with the information needed to support students with mental health and addiction problems through early recognition and effective classroom strategies. Neal and Vitale's book series is a fitting, child-friendly accompaniment to the ministry's mandate. "Our first step," said Neal, "is to make people aware and start talking about it, and then hopefully the resources will come." By early next year, the authors plan to release the next book in the series, tackling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Other mental health issues they may write about include bipolar disease, anxiety and anorexia. "Davey the Deer - Let's talk about Depression" is available for purchase from Neal and Vitale's website Healthy Minds, www.healthymindsseries.ca for $15.95 including shipping and handling. Neal hopes to pro- mote the book to local schools and medical offices throughout the summer. (left to right): Dr. Grace Vitale, her daughter Idana, Rosaleigh Neal. Photo by Barbara Howe Our Councillor's Report by Rhonda Mulcahy North Ward Councillor, Town of Whitby • mulcahyr@whitby.ca Talking Trash I've been known to talk trash and during the election campaign residents often brought it up. So it's time to get information out. Years ago, when the green bin program began, we were reluctant to lose our quota and frequency of allotted garbage bags. I for one was worried about holding garbage for two weeks, not to mention its smell. There were public sessions to learn how to use our green bins and, using the BTC, I did my part to share the message. Today the Town of Whitby and Durham Region are winning awards for responsible waste and recycling procedures. The one problem I see is that we have a fast growing community with new residents who haven't always "gotten the memo." Moving, for instance, is busy and stressful with garbage pick up the last thing anyone is thinking about. It can be frustrating as new residents try to figure it out (ask BTC's new editor). When people say they need more frequent garbage collection or more bags, I listen but I have a hard time understanding. My own family of five rarely needs more than two garbage bags and I often feel we can do better. Other than baby diapers, I can't see how Whitby's limit isn't enough. We can all make the effort to sort our waste and we'd be doing our part as stewards for the environment. We'd also save municipal dollars by making curbside collection efficient and decreasing our landfill volume. We have weekly green bin and recycling pick up and residual and yard waste (seasonally) every other week. At whitby.ca (under Residents then Garbage and Recycling), you can read about the green bin, recycling, and residential waste. Also on the web site, discover the Waste Wizard (www.whitby.ca/en/residents/wastewizard.asp) to find out where each item goes. Sign up for calendar or email reminders for your collection days. Off line? You can also call 905-668-3437. Residual Garbage: All garbage must be in bags. If you are over your four bag limit, tags for additional bags may be purchased at the Brooklin Community Centre and Library for $1.50. They come in sheets of five. (If you have a special medical condition or three children under the age of three, there is a special consideration application form). Maximum size of bags: 66 cm wide by 91 cm tall (26 inches by 36 inches). Maximum weight per bag: 20 kilograms (44 pounds). Recycling: The large blue bin is for containers and the smaller for papers. Rinsing the containers helps keep animals at bay. On windy days, stack heavier items on top of papers. (Obvious, but necessary to state.) Green Bin: Please visit whitby.ca under Residents to see which green bin liners are acceptable. Unfortunately some stores in Durham Region sell liners that are not acceptable. Please see page 7 for the Holiday Collection schedule. DRPS Youth in Policing is Looking for Junior Campers DRPS is inviting youth aged 10 to 13 to summer camp this August. Join our Youth in Policing (YIP) students as they host a fun-filled and educational Junior Youth in Policing Leadership Camp at Durham College in Oshawa. Junior Camp will consist of four FREE days of camp, running from August 9 to August 12, 2016. Junior campers will be paired up with our YIP students and can expect to participate in various activities, interact with the emergency services in the community and learn valuable leadership skills. This annual youth camp connects youth with our police officers, with the goal of inspiring the youth to become leaders within their communities. Junior campers will also receive positive mentorship from our YIP students. Junior Leadership Camp is open to youth who have not previously participated and is free of cost. Spaces are limited, so register quickly. Please note: junior students will not be considered registered until the attached application package is completed and submitted via email to the address below. A confirmation email will be sent once successfully registered. Only those who have not previously attended Junior Camp should apply. For more information and to register for camp, please email jryipcamp@drps.ca.