Health

When the “ceasefire” was announced on October 10 last year, we knew how much needed repairing. For the first time in a long while, we thought we might have the breathing space to do it. We thought medicines and equipment could arrive more regularly. Hospitals and clinics could begin to be restored. Patients could leave Gaza for treatment. Emergency medical teams could come from overseas to support Gaza’s exhausted health workers. We could finally look beyond the next crisis and plan how to care for people over the coming months and years. None of that happened. Three years into the genocide, there is barely a moment to catch our breath. We’re being asked to do far more than Gaza’s devastated health system can sustain, while regular deliveries of medical supplies and equipment are still restricted and medical evacuations stalled. People are still arriving at our clinics with traumatic injuries because Israel’s bombardment continues. More than 1,470 people have been killed since the “ceasefire” started. Even reaching a health centre can now put patients at risk.

Respiratory virus specialists say Canadians should get their flu shot as soon as it becomes available in their area this fall. Most provinces will start providing the flu vaccine to the general public by the end of October and it will be free of charge.

Young Europeans spend on average 4 to 6 hours a day on screens. Engaging with some of the most sophisticated technology ever created.

“You cannot have a million or a million-and-a-half people on a waiting list and think this is a functioning healthcare system.”That is the warning from Professor Peter Fonagy, pictured above, author of a wide-ranging report into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions in the UK. It makes for alarming reading. Among young people, he says, common mental disorders - things like depression or anxiety - have risen by 50% since 1993. Some 20% of young people are now in serious distress. By 2030, the report warns, the two million young people in England who have self-harmed will become 2.5 million. The report comes off the back of remarks last year by the then-Health Secretary Wes Streeting, pictured below. He told the BBC that there was an “overdiagnosis” of some mental health conditions meaning “too many people are being written off”. He later apologised for the remarks, his contribution to a culture war narrative of a ‘snowflake generation’. Today’s report is an attempt to answer those concerns. “That’s not true,” Fonagy told Channel 4 News.

Player Story13/10/2026Women’s football players are most likely to be considering leaving the game early for financial and mental health reasons as employment standards fail to keep pace with a boom in some parts of the world, according to a new FIFPRO study. For former England and Chelsea defender Millie Bright, creating an environment where players can ask for help without judgement is essential.

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TORONTO - Respiratory virus specialists say Canadians should get their flu shot as soon as it becomes available in their area this fall.

Walking down the street this week, it may seem like everyone is sneezing and hacking up a lung. But as health officials announce the start of an earlier than usual flu season, how worried should Canadians be? And as we head into Thanksgiving weekend, should we be scrambling to update flu and COVID-19 shots? Some experts say that while this year's flu season may have arrived on our doorstep sooner than usual, it's not necessarily a cause for alarm — but other experts are stressing the importance of prevention in heavy-hit regions such as Toronto and Calgary, where one of this season's two influenza deaths so far has occurred, according to authorities. The strain making up roughly 98 per cent of cases in Canada so far tends to be a milder one, according to Brian Ward, professor emeritus at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal. "So far at least, this looks like an H1N1 dominated year, and the years where H1N1 dominates, you can have very large outbreaks, but the number or the proportion of people … who get very sick, is relatively small compared to years that are dominated by H3N2," he told CBC News.

Respiratory virus specialists say Canadians should get their flu shot as soon as it becomes available in their area this fall. Most provinces will start providing the flu vaccine to the general public by the end of October and it will be free of charge.

A distinct presentation, a growing evidence base, and specialized clinical expertise support formally recognizing postpartum psychosis in the next DSM update. Mena Mirhom, MD, FAPA, a board-certified psychiatrist and Psychiatric Times section editor, argued that postpartum psychosis should be considered for inclusion in the next iteration or update of the DSM. He said the Lindsay Clancy case and the national conversation around it raise the question for good reason. The DSM-5-TR does not list postpartum psychosis as its own diagnosis. Clinicians instead apply a peripartum-onset specifier to mood disorders, or a postpartum-onset specifier to brief psychotic disorder. Both cover onset during pregnancy or within 4 weeks after delivery.1 Mirhom said the current evidence supports a more specific approach. The Case for InclusionMirhom cited 3 lines of evidence. The first is the nature of the condition itself, which presents in a nuanced and distinct way. The second is the growing research literature on postpartum psychosis.

Ontario’s cold and flu season is nearly here. Free flu and COVID-19 vaccines begin Oct. 26 for all residents over six months old. Learn vaccination dates, RSV info – and expert prevention tips.

The Grammy-nominated global pop star is recognized for her longstanding LGBTQ+ advocacy, allyship, and commitment to championing mental health, joy, belonging, and unapologetic self-expression October 9, 2026 – In recognition of World Mental Health Day on October 10, The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people, proudly honors Grammy-nominated global pop star Zara Larsson with its 2026 Mental Health Champion of the Year Award, celebrating her longstanding advocacy for LGBTQ+ people and her openness about mental health, as well as her commitment to creating spaces rooted in freedom, authenticity, and belonging.

A landmark federal investment is positioning Canada to answer some of the most pressing questions about cannabis and brain health, with a Mental Health Initiative for Stress and Trauma (MIST) researcher helping to lead the way. Through the newly created Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium (CCBHC), supported by a $24-million investment from the Government of Canada, Dr. Leah Mayo, PhD, MIST researcher and  Parker Psychedelics Research Chair, has been selected as one of only 10 multidisciplinary research teams advancing this national effort. One in three Canadian adults reported using cannabis in 2025 even though critical questions on the potential harms and medical benefits of cannabis remain unanswered. The CCBHC will build a coordinated national infrastructure allowing researchers to consolidate data and generate the rigorous evidence that's been missing since Canada legalized cannabis in 2018. Notably, the consortium's research will include populations historically underrepresented in this field, including Indigenous Peoples and people with rare or complex medical histories. Understanding how THC actually affects sleep quality in PTSDDr.