Letter: Our mental health system is severely broken and it’s costing lives

To The Editor:

What I am about to say is mostly based on my own experience,  I know I’m not alone.

Our mental health system is severely broken and it’s costing lives.

My journey started back during childhood.

I never sought help until in my 20s. I was in and out of hospitals, both the general hospital as well as the psychiatric hospital. Treatment was available even outside of the hospital setting.

I attended many group therapies, one on ones, and always had a psychiatrist. Even though there were also many medications through trial and error, I never lacked support from the mental health professionals.

I had access to social workers, nurses, therapists and even crisis lines. It took years but I did find myself in 2013 after agreeing to Electric Convulsive Therapy. also known as Shock Treatment.

Unfortunately, I did lose my job after being an employee for 15 years, but I kept on moving forward. A few years later I was offered a job that I never thought I could ever obtain and truly can say “I love my Job.”

I now find myself dealing with my mental health, that once again is isolating me, thanks to a total lack of funding and still a huge stigma and ignorance towards it.

There is not enough staff to work one on one anymore, not enough psychiatrists to take on the load that is so desperately needed.

Wait times to get into programs and group therapy are very long. There is always a Crisis Line 24/7 but being in the system myself, I know what to say and what not to say, so my options are always open.

When you approach the Emergency Room front desk to ask to speak to crisis in person, I always feel like I’m wasting their time. And that’s when my self-doubt creeps in. Imagine living life never feeling good enough, embarrassed to go into public, feeling like you don’t matter, and always thinking you’d be better off not being here anymore? It’s no fun!

Oddly enough, I am also a Peer Support Worker. I did my groups and classes to become one. I would love to advocate for those who have lost their voice or feel like giving up, however, there are not enough jobs to support this career.

There’s BELL Let’s Talk in January of every year but I even noticed a decline in that to raise awareness. Mental Health Month. commercials bring awareness to mental health…when it comes down to it, the stigma is very much still there and the ignorance that surrounds it is unbelievable.

EVERY life matters, isn’t it time we fight even for those who have lost their hope and slipped through the cracks of this broken system?

Chantale St. Pierre

Powassan