Underinvestment in Mental Health: A Time Bomb Threatening Canadian Society

The dire consequences of underinvestment in mental health are currently unfolding in Canada, especially in the post-COVID-19 pandemic, which experts describe as a “time bomb”.

There are indicators of neglect of “mental health” in emergency services, especially in major cities, with the significant increase in hospital consultations, and the high rates of suicide and addiction.

“The number of young people with mental health and addiction problems in Canada is steadily increasing,” says Pugh Burgundavag, an emergency physician at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. “We’re trying to do our best, but our supply is very limited.”

Mental health crises “epidemic”

In Toronto, the situation has become so bad that former mayor John Tory has called a “national summit on mental health”, describing the problems in the country as an “epidemic”.

And you can notice many walking staring into the void, or repeating incomprehensible words in the streets or metro stations in this major and very modern Canadian city that is the front of the country economically and culturally.

Newspapers are also full of stories directly related to mental health and addiction problems. It is a phenomenon that also affects major cities in the neighboring United States, but it is less clear so far compared to what is happening on the Canadian side.

historical

“Historically, we’ve underfunded mental health,” says David Gratzer of the Center on Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. “In Canada, for every dollar we spend on healthcare, seven or eight cents goes into funding mental health services,” which is much lower than in most countries. other developed countries.

“We made a huge mistake in the 1960s and 1970s when we closed off a lot of hospital beds for people with mental illness,” the psychiatrist adds.

More than half of young people in Ontario suffer from a mental disorder

In Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, more than half of young people say they suffer from a mental disorder. The demand for psychological services has increased by 50%.

Civil support for mental health

So, faced with the shortcomings of public services, charitable organizations take responsibility, but they are also unable to deal with the influx of people affected by this situation.

Jacques Charlan of the psychological helpline Ecout Untrade describes the situation as a “time bomb”. “We will have to take care of people who have (psychological problems) and stop waiting for them to be admitted to hospital,” he says.

“It will take more money to do more prevention,” adds the man, who has recently returned to service to help cope with the scale of needs.

“We are living in a real crisis because it affects all aspects of the population, and for young people, the numbers are even more alarming,” says Nzinga Walker, executive director of Stela’s Place.

Close to Toronto’s Chinatown, Stella’s Place welcomes 16-29-year-olds in mental distress, free of charge, without an appointment.

“There are no services available. Everywhere they put you on a waiting list, and when someone is going through a crisis, the last thing they want is to be put on a waiting list,” Walker explains.

In this organization, which was established in 2013 and was recently moved to a site that previously housed a candy factory, counseling sessions and group programs for young people can be provided, and psychologists are consulted.

Kat Romero, who has long hair with some blue streaks, admits that the association “literally changed her life” after months without finding help.

“I was lost, and they taught me different types of coping mechanisms to help me deal with crisis situations and maintain my daily mental health,” says the young woman.

Today, Kat helps the center set up programs, and the organization also works to train young people to help people in ethnic minority communities.

“I know a lot of people who are in difficult situations, so the program helps me understand them better,” says Chantelle Cruza Werfan. “I can go back to my community to help people in crisis.”

“For us people of color, these resources are hard to access,” she says, expressing hope that this will change because “the issue of mental health is finally getting real attention.”

(AFP)