The Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) has evolved to become one of Canada’s best-connected mental health NGOs with a demonstrated track record for forging and maintaining meaningful and sustained partnerships with the public, private and non-profit sectors throughout Canada.

Vision

The Mood Disorders Society of Canada has grown out of the vision and drive of a number of mental health consumer leaders from across Canada who in 1995 saw the need for a broad-based structure to bring consumers of mental health services together and who believe that consumers have a key role to play with regard to education and advocacy at the national level.

It was formally launched and incorporated in 2001 with the overall objective of providing people with mood disorders with a strong, cohesive voice at the national level to improve access to treatment, inform research, and shape program development and government policies with the goal of improving the quality of life for people affected by mood disorders.

The MDSC’s overall objective is to provide people with mood disorders with a strong, cohesive voice at the national level by:

• Raising the awareness of mood disorders as treatable medical disorders and working to eliminate the barriers to full community participation and reducing discrimination and stigma among the public, treatment and service providers, and governments.
• Building a national clearinghouse of information and resources related to mood disorders issues.
  Advocating for the creation of adequate and accessible, stigma free programs for those Canadians living with or suffering from a mental illness.
•  Ensuring that the voices of consumers and family members are accurately understood and communicated on issues of national importance by building on existing networks and alliances.

Mission

Collaboration is an MDSC operational principle. The Society fulfills its mandate through an active partnership approach that engages like-minded organizations in the public, private and voluntary sectors. The MDSC is engaged on an ongoing basis in a wide range of projects and initiatives designed to support the inclusion of persons with disabling mental illnesses in Canadian society and has taken a lead proactive role in public policy and program development in many capacities on the national stage.

Virtual Organization

The MSDC sees itself as a primarily virtual organization with a small, cost-effective infrastructure. The virtual nature of the organization allows it to bring people together, particularly through information technology, and to respond quickly and easily to emerging needs.