1. Noteworthy items

• In collaboration with the University of Manitoba, Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba will be offering a 6-session Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with Mindfulness Group, called the Turning Pages Program, geared toward adults ages 50-70 years who are experiencing challenges with life transitions. The first group will start in February 2018, with upcoming groups beginning in the spring, summer, and fall. We are looking for retired psychologists who may be interested in volunteer facilitation for the spring group or future group offerings. Please contact Tara Brousseau-Snider at taras@mooddisordersmanitoba.ca  if you would like to discuss this opportunity in further detail. 

• 24/7 crisis text line to be available for youth in Manitoba https://globalnews.ca/news/4027456/crisis-texting-line-now-available-for-kids-in-manitoba-24-7/

• Dr. Jen Theule was interviewed on CJOB on Feb 7, 2018 about youth mental health, behavioural issues, and the media

• Dr. Teresa Sztaba was interviewed by the Brandon Sun at the end of February about the effect of technology and social media on the brain, well-being, and relationships

• MPS members have been busy writing books! Below are some of the recent publications by our members:

3. MPS Updates

• MPS is on Facebook! Find us and “Like” our page to stay up to date on news and events: https://www.facebook.com/MBPsychologicalSociety/

• The Social Action Committee needs you to bring psychology’s insights to bear on pressing social problems. One of the ways for this to happen is for MPS members to use Facebook to Like and to re-post items that appear on the MPS Facebook page. It’s a small step, but it’s an increasingly important way to communicate our knowledge and our value. 

• Representatives from MPS arranged a meeting recently with the Minister of Education and his executive to discuss ways in which psychologists might resource government in their job.  The focus was on hearing the struggles of representatives and their staff along with building skills for dealing with distressed constituents.  The presentation went well and participants were interested and involved.  The hope is that this may develop into a series of presentations to help government do their job more effectively and to highlight the skills that psychology brings to the table.

4. Articles of Interest

• Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32802-7/fulltext

• Virtual-reality-based cognitive behavioural therapy versus waiting list control for paranoid ideation and social avoidance in patients with psychotic disorders: a single-blind randomised controlled trial http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(18)30053-1/abstract

• Facial Emotion Recognition Performance Differentiates Between Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Major Depressive Disorder https://www.psychiatrist.com/JCP/article/Pages/2018/v79n01/16m11342.aspx