Mental Diseases

Mental illness is the invisible disability that carries such a stigma that those who suffer from it do not want to admit to it — or worse, they do not seek help. Not that help always comes to those in need. The recent shooting of a mentally handicapped man by the OPP in Elmvale, Ont. is an example of why.
It made up of nine MPPs, is currently touring around Ontario to listen to presenters and their personal struggles.
Many of the presenters who spoke echoed similar stories of misdiagnosis, lost jobs, lost education and the many disjointed holes in the health sector, policing and political departments.
One presenter at the Hamilton session last week spoke about second level lodging homes, where many of those who suffer mental health diseases are dumped. Those with schizophrenia are housed next to drug addicts, exacerbating the problems by having destructive relationships that at times lead to pregnancies.
Many of the children from these relations are born with crack addictions. The mothers, unable to care for themselves, are in no position to care for a child, which results in a ripple effect through the community.
Our social system is set up to deal with problems after the fact, when the police are called in.
Nothing in the medical or education field really sees and deals with the onset of mental illness. Behavioural habits first change on average during the early teenage years, leading even those who are closest to the victim to initially conclude it is a behaviour problem.
Many of the presenters stated that “it wasn’t until the police were called” that help finally came. But in most cases the story ends in tragedy. It is only the few who get real help.
So little information is shared between the health system, the education system and the social system that terrible holes are waiting for those with mental health issues to fall through the cracks.
Many patients or “clients” as they were referred to are arrested more than once. Those who did finally get the help needed to function in the community were simply lucky enough to bump into the right person with the right knowledge.
By and large, it was only because an immediate family member strove to educate themselves to be able to act as an advocate and caregiver that the situation had a positive ending.
What is needed, all presenters said, was more government funding for outreach workers, education, housing and transportation. Front line people like GPs, the police and teachers need more education on what to look for and how to help someone struggling with mental illness. Many parents pointed out that the medical sector often does not prescribe the right medicine in the right amounts. It is then up to the patient to correct this situation, when they are in a vulnerable state.
Currently, navigating through various sources of information is more than difficult. There should be an inventory of sources on the web and in phone books, so family and friends can easily get information and help and make contacts. Case workers must keep families in the loop of information and medical discussions. As things stand now, the patient is the only decision maker, which commonly leads to prescription risks or the stoppage of much needed balancing medicine.
Parents of children who suffer from mental illness want everyone to know that the best care is preventive solutions before a client gets arrested or shot for their behaviour. Currently the waiting lists for help extend from six months to over a year.
Mentally ill people cannot simply wait for an opening in a treatment centre.
First we need to reduce the stigma, especially in the way the media exploits these people for a sensational story