This summer, Premier McNeil’s Minister of Health, Leo Glavine denied there is a crisis in mental health. The Progressive Conservative MLAs have heard from hundreds of families in crisis, mental health advocates and health professionals, who are exhausted and overwhelmed by a system that is broken. Action must be taken and fast.
We, the undersigned, ask the McNeil Liberal government to call an inquiry into Nova Scotia’s mental health system to assess the current situation, make recommendations and propose an action plan to improve services.
Updates
November 5, 2015
The emails pouring in from families remain difficult to read because the pain in this province is so raw. I am spending my nights documenting these stories so that those in power cannot look away from the damage they have caused.
November 5, 2015
The scale of this response is overwhelming and it proves that the government can no longer pretend these problems do not exist. I am exhausted by the constant uphill climb but seeing this level of support gives me the grit to push through another week.
20 Comments
After we lost our first son to suicide his twin brother was denied treatment for mental health. We found our second son three days later. He took his life. In his backpack was a complaint form for the hospital. His voice was not heard. My son's mattered.
When a suicidal individual is placed a waitlist that is 6 months long that is an issue. When I wife is left to do suicide watch q1h around the clock, that is an issue, when mental health is brushed off, and our own government is to blame, that my friends in an issue. We left the province to find better mental healthcare for my husband before it was too late. Good God, something needs to be done.
There needs to be more education in all medical staff, not just the mental health unit, but the staff that are generally the first to see a patient in crisis....the emergency departments. There should be a more open line of communication with families of patients so that the staff can obtain collateral information that can help in treatment. I also feel that there should be outside evaluations of staff, evaluations of their cases, so that each and every patient is being given a proper diagnosis & a chance at life.
People deserve the right to appropriate and timely treatment. At present, wait lists are not meeting the needs of our Nova Scotians. The impact of this is short sighted. The lack of care leads to decreased work productivity, family distress and trauma, to higher consumption of health care services to meet emergency needs just to name a few. Prevention should be promoted so that our society can thrive and flourish. It is clear that the stigma and lack of empathy of mental health illness is another form of oppression to an already marginalized group. Let's build people up and make wellness an opportunity for everyone!
As a wife, and Mother who lost a husband and a son and many friends, I don't agree with Mr Glavine, we need to change the system that is not working, please so no other mother has to ask why,
When will the voices of those suffering from a mental illness and their families be heard. Do we as taxpayers not have the same rights for treatment as those who have diabetes or angina? I would like to know how you justify the small percentage of health care dollars that are spent on mental health. I would like to see the statistics of the suicide rates in N.S over the last 10 years. Mental health issues are becoming an epidemic among young people. Until our own Government recognizes our mental health system needs major reform I foresee things only getting worse. We wonder why there is such stigma in this day and age. How can we expect society to change its views when our own leaders apparently view people with mental health disorders as second class citizens. My husband committed suicide in 2013 and my son has struggled with bipolar disorder since he was 17 years old. I am so sick of hearing horror stories. I am an LPN and I can tell you that if the general population was receiving this type of care and their disease processes handled in this manner it would not be tolerated. The time for change is now.
Took way to many trips to hospital before we saw any results.
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This summer, Premier McNeil’s Minister of Health, Leo Glavine denied there is a crisis in mental health. The Progressive Conservative MLAs have heard from hundreds of families in crisis, mental health advocates and health professionals, who are exhausted and overwhelmed by a system that is broken. Action must be taken and fast.
We, the undersigned, ask the McNeil Liberal government to call an inquiry into Nova Scotia’s mental health system to assess the current situation, make recommendations and propose an action plan to improve services.
Updates
November 5, 2015
The emails pouring in from families remain difficult to read because the pain in this province is so raw. I am spending my nights documenting these stories so that those in power cannot look away from the damage they have caused.
November 5, 2015
The scale of this response is overwhelming and it proves that the government can no longer pretend these problems do not exist. I am exhausted by the constant uphill climb but seeing this level of support gives me the grit to push through another week.
20 Comments
Apparently Leo Glavine saying that there is no crisis in mental health has never been in a family where there are mental health problems, nor has he apparently had to fight tooth and nail for help for their loved one.
After we lost our first son to suicide his twin brother was denied treatment for mental health. We found our second son three days later. He took his life. In his backpack was a complaint form for the hospital. His voice was not heard. My son's mattered.
When a suicidal individual is placed a waitlist that is 6 months long that is an issue. When I wife is left to do suicide watch q1h around the clock, that is an issue, when mental health is brushed off, and our own government is to blame, that my friends in an issue. We left the province to find better mental healthcare for my husband before it was too late. Good God, something needs to be done.
There needs to be more education in all medical staff, not just the mental health unit, but the staff that are generally the first to see a patient in crisis....the emergency departments. There should be a more open line of communication with families of patients so that the staff can obtain collateral information that can help in treatment. I also feel that there should be outside evaluations of staff, evaluations of their cases, so that each and every patient is being given a proper diagnosis & a chance at life.
People deserve the right to appropriate and timely treatment. At present, wait lists are not meeting the needs of our Nova Scotians. The impact of this is short sighted. The lack of care leads to decreased work productivity, family distress and trauma, to higher consumption of health care services to meet emergency needs just to name a few. Prevention should be promoted so that our society can thrive and flourish. It is clear that the stigma and lack of empathy of mental health illness is another form of oppression to an already marginalized group. Let's build people up and make wellness an opportunity for everyone!
As a wife, and Mother who lost a husband and a son and many friends, I don't agree with Mr Glavine, we need to change the system that is not working, please so no other mother has to ask why,
When will the voices of those suffering from a mental illness and their families be heard. Do we as taxpayers not have the same rights for treatment as those who have diabetes or angina? I would like to know how you justify the small percentage of health care dollars that are spent on mental health. I would like to see the statistics of the suicide rates in N.S over the last 10 years. Mental health issues are becoming an epidemic among young people. Until our own Government recognizes our mental health system needs major reform I foresee things only getting worse. We wonder why there is such stigma in this day and age. How can we expect society to change its views when our own leaders apparently view people with mental health disorders as second class citizens. My husband committed suicide in 2013 and my son has struggled with bipolar disorder since he was 17 years old. I am so sick of hearing horror stories. I am an LPN and I can tell you that if the general population was receiving this type of care and their disease processes handled in this manner it would not be tolerated. The time for change is now.
Took way to many trips to hospital before we saw any results.
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Apparently Leo Glavine saying that there is no crisis in mental health has never been in a family where there are mental health problems, nor has he apparently had to fight tooth and nail for help for their loved one.