LETTER: Better solutions for mental health crisis than a hotline
Hope StandardMay 28, 2021
It bemuses me to think that our local MP
It's become openly obvious that
Good grief man, if I or any of the hundreds of thousands of citizens suffering from depression in this country have to call a suicide hotline, then we've failed miserably.
As a life-long surviving sufferer of severe PTSD, the last thing I need is a suicide hotline; my plan is already in place.
I can, though, tell you what we do need, and it certainly isn't political rhetoric and doublespeak. As it stands right now, there is no help whatsoever, unless you commit a crime.
If you want to make an appointment to see a psychologist, unless you fall into the criminal aspect, you're on at least a two-year waiting list, and you'll eventually be bumped right off it, unless you're "totally off the deep end."
I have an idea, why don't we fund a
We also need to at least quadruple the number of mental health professionals right across the country.
We also need to replace the myriad of social service agencies into a single entity, that co-ordinates living allowances, government pensions, social welfare, and employment insurance into a single agency, such as a guaranteed livable income.
It's only through a system, such as this, that we can track and co-ordinate the help needed and its urgency, which currently, is overwhelming and drastically underserved.
Hope