'A whirlwind of everything': The lived experience of adolescents with co-occurring chronic pain and mental health symptoms.

Background: Co-occurring chronic pain and mental health issues are prevalent in adolescents, costly to society and can lead to increased risk of complications throughout the lifespan. While research has largely examined paediatric chronic pain and mental health in isolation, little is known about the unique challenges faced by adolescents who experience these co-occurring symptoms. This idiographic study examined the lived experience of adolescents with co-occurring chronic pain and mental health symptoms to identify salient issues for this population.

"It's just a perfect storm": Exploring the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on overdose risk in British Columbia from the perspectives of people who use substances.

Background: Despite the implementation and expansion of public health and harm reduction strategies aimed at preventing and reversing overdoses, rates of overdose-related events and fatalities continue to rise in British Columbia. The COVID-19 pandemic created a second, concurrent public health emergency that further exacerbated the illicit drug toxicity crisis, reinforced existing social inequities and vulnerabilities, and highlighted the precariousness of systems in place that are meant to protect the health of communities. By exploring the perspectives of people with recent experience of illicit substance use, this study sought to characterize how the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures influenced risk and protective factors related to unintentional overdose by altering the environment in which people live and use substances, influencing the ability of people who use substances to be safe and well.

Identifying behaviours for survival and wellness among people who use methamphetamine with opioids in British Columbia: a qualitative study.

Background: British Columbia (BC) has been in a state of public health emergency since 2016, due to the unprecedented numbers of fatal and non-fatal drug toxicity (i.e. overdose) events.