Mental Health: A Special Series

In January of this year, The Mississauga News released a a three part special Series on Mental Health.  Topics range from personal stories, funding in peel, how the mental health system in peel is supporting the population; and how it's falling short.  I found it to be an incredibly in-depth series that examines the very real, and sometimes heartbreaking effects the mental health system in peel has on the families that are reaching out for support. Please take a look at this incredible series:
Part 1: Help....The Monsters Under my Bed are Real
Part 2: "The System Failed us"
Part 3: A New Frontier in Mental Health

I've found myself recently having a lot of conversation with families in Peel about the connections (or possibly missed connections) between the campaigns to end mental health stigma (Ex: Bell Let's Talk), and the funding that goes to the programs to help people when they are ready for support.  I was really struck by a Father who told me that although he's extremely encouraged by the advocacy and stigma campaigns, he has been increasingly worried about what happens when people feel more comfortable seeking help from our system If the funding still isn't there, wait lists, inpatient beds, and even crisis response may not be caught up to even access the services. Later that same day I came across this article from the National Post that sheds some light on people who are falling through the cracks of an overburdened system.

We have certainly come a long way in Mental Health Strategies in Canada, and  I truly believe that education is the first step.  We need to know how the system is working right now, in order to help make it better.  We can write letters, talk openly about it, bring forward the ideas of the families who are using the system themselves to make sure that the people who are really needing the help don't fall through the cracks.  Remember, as a community we have a lot of power.  We can work together to make a difference.

The Complexities of Advocating for Your Loved One.

If you are supporting and caring for someone in your life with a Mental Illness, chances are you've been in the position of advocating for them.  Advocating takes place in many different situations, such as hospitals, with Doctors, schools, the workplace, and with friends and family.  Throughout the years of working with people, I've discovered that this can be an incredibly complicated position to be in.  I often hear Family Members question what advocating really is, who it's for, and what's the "right" way to do it.  Is it better to do what you think is best for your loved ones health, even though it may not what they want at this time?  Is it more helpful to let your loved one take the control of their own health, treatment and recovery?  The truth is that there's no right answer.  The word "right" doesn't have any meaning in something so complex.

Every family who comes through this door has discussed this idea, and how it can create a power dynamic inside the relationship between the caregiver and the care receiver.  Please CLICK HERE to read an amazing piece written by Mark Lukach.  He so powerfully shares his own story of caring for his wife through her mental illness, and has some great insight about what advocating means to him, and how this changes the power dynamic of their relationship.

I hope that reading the stories written by other caregivers can give some hope, peace and perspective to anyone who is struggling with their own uncertainty.