Research snapshot

This Research Snapshot looks at the article, “Using Fidelity Measurement to Assess Quality of Early Psychosis Intervention Services in Ontario,. 

This is the first study of people living with HIV in Ontario that looks at the link between cannabis use and alcohol use over time. Increases in recreational cannabis use were associated with increases in alcohol use, while increases in medicinal cannabis use were not. The findings are relevant as heavy drinking has negative outcomes for people with HIV.

Suicide notes provide insight into the way people experience mental illness and mental health treatment. An in-depth review of 36 suicide notes from Ontario emphasizes the importance of personal control over mental illness, the struggle between the illness and the self, and how experiences with treatment can lead to hopelessness. Service providers can use these findings to help their clients reduce exhaustion and increase autonomy, or improve suicide prevention programs.

Many studies have shown that raising alcohol taxes or prices reduced alcohol-related harms such as violence, crimes, vehicle crashes, chronic diseases, transmission of STDs, and suicide. Decreasing hours of sale or decreasing availability of alcohol resulted in less consumption of alcohol and a significant decrease in alcohol-related harms.