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Depression and other mental illnesses are increasing worldwide, but only 25 per cent of these affected are getting treatment. In 10 years, depression will be the second leading cause of death, according to the World Health Organization.
According to Statistics Canada, nearly 30 per cent of young Quebecers are living with a lot of stress in their lives. This can become a serious problem, said Dr. Joseph Rochford, director of the academic affairs at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute.
“It’s a big issue,” he said. “What people call depression today is not what it used to be.”
People suffering from depression are often misunderstood, he said. There is often a stigma associated with people who suffer from mental disorders, and because of this many people refuse to get treated.
“By saying people [suffering from depression] are just moaning and groaning is doing them a real disservice,” Rochford said, adding that many patients don’t want to complain but can’t help themselves on account of their strong feelings of unworthiness.
Rochford said he believes that one negative influence on mental well-being is when a person has a low sense of connection to the community.
This affects students, Rochford said, because their social groups and routines are unhinged when they leave their families and move to new areas.
Melissa Castron, a student who moved to Montreal from Vancouver, admitted that building friendships was tough at the beginning. “But through classes, and working, there are so many people with similar interests around,” she said. “It’s a matter of being open.”
Building a supportive network of friends can benefit all students, and the right type of support can aid students suffering from depression, Rochford said.
“The issue is try to be supportive,” he said. “Not empower them by saying, yes, poor you.”
Not being judgmental is the most effective help a support network can offer.
One of the biggest myths about people suffering from mental disorders is that they can not live normal, productive lives. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth, Rochford said, emphasizing that suffering from a mental illness does not stop people from living, as long as they have a strong support system.

If the provincial Liberals act on the proposal to begin charging tuition fees at CEGEPs, they can expect student federations to put up a fight.
Xavier Lefebvre Boucher, president of student lobby group Féderation étudiante collégiale du Québec said he wants Premier Jean Charest and the Minister of Education to retract the proposal. If they don’t, he threatened, “We are going to be armed and we are going to be waiting. If they declare war on us, we are going to respond.”
Delegates of the Quebec Liberal Party approved the proposal late last month as part of a pre-budget package presented by the Minister of Finance to help balance the budget by 2013-2014. Delegates said they would introduce “modest” tuition fees. But the Canadian Federation of Students, the country’s largest student lobby group, said they won’t accept the Liberal party’s proposal in any capacity.
And Quebec students aren’t pleased at the thought of paying for CEGEP, a provincial post-secondary education institution.
“I find it ridiculous to introduce tuition fees,” said Yara Soveidi, 18, a social-science student at Coll

The Dalai Lama sat in the lotus position on a couch, slowly cleaning his yellow-tinted glasses as members of the press looked on. Thirty minutes later, Tibet’s spiritual and political leader faced an audience of 15,000, sitting in the same position, as he spoke about compassion, religion and procrastination.
Proving that even he has faults, the Dalai Lama admitted that he sometimes procrastinates when translating ancient texts. He told the crowd he always says he will do it “tomorrow, tomorrow,tomorrow,” until the last minute.
Though he admits it’s a bad habit, he advised others, especially students, against procrastinating. Even if young adults do put off important work, the Dalai Lama said he remains hopeful about the future, praising today’s youth for protesting wars and standing up for peace. Actions like these demonstrate that people have compassion and an ability to forgive, he said, forecasting that this can be “the century of peace.”
Tenzin Lobsang Wangkhang, who has been accompanying the Dalai Lama on his tour, said the Dalai Lama was eager to have as many students as possible attend his event in order to teach them “about the powers of compassion.”
Compassion, the spiritual leader said, is what will help the world achieve a status of peace.
Alluding to religious conflicts in the world and possible solutions, the Dalai Lama disagreed with the notion of having one world religion. “I think one religion for six billion human beings is the same thing as six billion human beings eating only one dish,” he said, laughing along with his audience. “People will eventually get fed up.”
The Dalai Lama made a point, though, of saying he does not hold all the answers, and is not a god-like being, despite what some may think.
He backed up his assertion with a story about gall bladder surgery he had last year. His need for surgery, and the complications he suffered during the operation “scientifically proves the Dalai Lama has no healing power,” he joked.
He admitted he was able to heal quickly, but credited that to his mental compassion, saying too much anger, hatred, and fear eat away at the body. A more compassionate mind, he said, makes for a healthier body and immune system.

The federal government passed a bill Wednesday introducing new credit card regulations. Credit card companies will now be forced to provide basic account and rate information on credit card statements, allow a mandatory 21-day grace period before interest is charged, and notify customers before raising their credit limit. Other regulations include a provision that forces credit card companies to inform consumers how long it would take to pay off their balance by making the minimum payment each month. The new regulations will go into effect in two stages, in January and September 2010.
The bill has come under fire from opposition parties and some consumer advocacy groups, who argue the regulations do not go far enough. The Canadian Community Reinvestment Coalition in May called the proposed regulations “too little, too late,” and the NDP called for tighter controls on credit card interest hikes.
Auob Muntasar, VP External for the Concordia Student Union, gave mixed a reaction to the bill. “I think the new measures do reflect that the government is paying attention. These regulations are long due,” he said. “But the fact that the government hasn’t taken any action in capping interest rates is ridiculous.”
Dan Otchere, an economics professor at Concordia who specializes in credit cards, said capping interest rates would be a bad idea. “If credit card companies were to lower the interest rates, people would abuse it,” he said. “Because people have difficulty paying all their balance, they go onto the instalment plan. And that is the danger for every credit card user, once you do that the debt mounts, without you knowing it.”
Banks, the main issuer of credit cards in Canada, have also criticized the bill because they say it will cost millions of dollars and be difficult to implement. Chisholm Pothier, a spokesperson for the Minister of Finance, denied this, saying that banks were properly consulted and have been given ample time to prepare.
“There was a consultation period. They participated in that, and we took their input on it. Obviously we think this is doable or we wouldn’t be doing it.”

Speaking at Concordia, award-wining author and alumnus Rawi Hage was honoured, particularly by the Lebanese in the audience, for his work about the 1970s Lebanese civil war.
Hage, appearing comfortable and casual with his arm slung over the back of his chair, answered questions and accepted praise about his life and writing.
Fellow members of the Lebanese community expressed their congratulations and deep thanks, showing the profound impact his work has had on them as well as on their shared cultural history.
Hage was grateful for their compliments, joking that the only other Lebanese to congratulate him before that night was his mother.
The author spent part of the evening describing the experience of writing his first novel, De Niro’s Game. The book focuses on civil-war-ravaged Lebanon, something Hage experienced first-hand.
“I don’t recall the state of mind I was in. It was all so fast, a blur,” he said. “It must have been some kind of emotional reaction or blockage. But since writing the book, I think less about the civil war, so it must have done something good.”
Cockroach is his latest work, and is set in Montreal where he now lives.
Hage earned his B.A, not in creative writing, but in photography at Concordia.
He was pointed in explaining his disassociation from the creative writing program. “I don’t come from creative writing,” he said when asked why he does not use quotation marks. “I don’t think quotes are necessary. It’s not experimental. It’s just laziness.” When host Peter Webb mentioned that creative writing students were in the audience, Hage dropped his head and said, “Oh no.” Laughter erupted when he then put on his glasses to scan the audience, saying in an almost sinister tone, “Oh yes, I can see them.”
Hage is presently at work on his next novel, the details of which he did not reveal.