Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10-19. The authors of the report on mental illness, Opening Eyes, Opening Minds, led by Sujitha Ratnasingham, from the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences and Public Health Ontario concluded that mental illness and addictions are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed and ignored, even in the health care system.More than 20% of our population has a mental illness. That is 6 million Canadians. But those numbers don’t include the collateral damage. Mental illness in a family hurts the one suffering with it as well as the rest of the family, friends and the community. The report also .recommends the importance of early intervention. The authors approve the efficacy of the treatments but say that not enough people access care. Perhaps because they can’t.
In Ontario we have a shortage of psychiatrists, especially in the smaller towns where one can wait up to eight months to see one. If you can’t wait, then you must pay, out of pocket, for other therapists or therapies. It’s bad enough that we have insufficient numbers of psychiatrists, but we make it worse by not covering the fees of others qualified specialists wellness.
The latest article posted on Cardus’ at Canada’s Agenda,” Canadians Give Themselves a Clean Bill of Health, But Not All Groups Feel the Same Way”, speaks to physical health but not mental health. Those of us with mental illness are left out. It’s ironic because people with untreated mental illness dwell in silence. It will take years for the medical establishment to provide enough psychiatrists. So we need to rely on the resources we have. And those resources are in our churches. Whether one is Christian or not, or even religious in any way, churches still symbolize places of serenity, security and sanctuary. They represent a place where someone will listen. Mental illness, especially depression can come with generalized fear and anxiety, as well as hopelessness and helplessness. And for many of us, a safe place and someone with whom to share fears can be enough to get through the day.
Those of you who have read my article in Convivium, “My Mind on God”, know that it was my Rabbi who kept me alive, gave me hope while the doctors and the medications finally took hold. The feeling of the presence of God that lives in sacred places and accompanies pastors, priests and Rabbis can profoundly affect recovery. With a shortage of therapists especially those paid for by the government, the need for pastoral care is greater than ever.
Francis Davis wrote in early October about the problems with mental health care in England. He wrote in the Guardian that faith leaders must speak up for people with mental health problems. “Thus, for all my campaigning for public faith over two decades it is clear that as a new generation of religious leaders comes into post, a sense of perspective and urgency needs to return. Faith in the public square is not the priority – practical care of this most fragile of groups in private is. This is more than just a call for social benefits. It is an exhortation for a change in advocacy…For if the new generation of religious leaders, claiming public virtue for their own institutions, will not reach out to those with severe mental ill health and their carers who are home alone, then who will?”
