My Perspective

Mental Health and Our Children and Youth

I am writing this blog today in response to a 15 year old who lost his battle with suicidal thoughts yesterday living right here in my own region. It is a story of sadness, frustration and a society that failed this young man and his mother’s cries for someone to help.

                The article in the local paper on May 3^rd talks about how those who are providing services are doing a good job but there just aren’t enough resources to fill the needs of the people who require mental health services. I find it frustrating that, like so many others, as a person who would like to help I am not able to do more because I do not yet have the specific university degrees or years of experience in clinical settings etc, etc, etc. Although I do think that having the right qualifications are necessary in order to give the best care possible, I believe that  if even one person dies because someone, even with lesser qualifications didn’t try to help, it is the death of one person too many. I agree with the mother in the article who says we need to change the system. We don’t want to blame those who are trying to make a difference, but change the way we do things so that no one is left behind and no one is missed or lost in the “system”.

                In my years spent on the crisis lines I have always struggled with the idea that as many people that I was able to talk to because they called in to the crisis lines, there are probably 100 times as many who struggle on their own and we never hear from them. How do we reach out to those sitting in the basement bedroom alone and cutting, with suicidal thoughts running through their heads, at the receiving end of physical or sexual abuse, being bullied, struggling with self esteem, racism or LGBT issues, dealing with untreated depression, anxiety or eating disorders to name just a few or thinking they are ugly or worthless or somehow less than their peers? How do we reach out to them and tell them “YOU MATTER TO ME”, that there are a lot of people who do care about you even if you don’t see them or know where to find them? How do we explain to our youth that every single one of them are special and meaningful to this world? How do we reach out to those who struggle in silence who may not know, may not be able to find or may not be able to get to help and tell them we are here?

                I desperately want to help and I can’t help but think that there is something we are missing, something that could be implemented, something that we are overlooking, or something that we can do to reach all of those people who I know we are missing. It seems like we are stuck in a system that seems to go round and round and we will never move forward until we can stand back and take a critical reflection of what we currently do. As my professors of Dalhousie University tell me often, we need to get a critical perspective of what we have, dig down to its roots and find the underlying beliefs, assumptions and world views that we are basing our current paradigm on and challenge them. How can we do things differently in order to bring about the change we are looking for? I pledge to you all I will do that and make every effort to make a difference for our youth at home and abroad.

                The reason I started this blog was from the inspiration of my social work professors at Dalhousie University that expressed change is not passive. You have to take action. I did not know what to write about at first, starting slowly with much uncertainty and that uncertainty continues today but I am pushing forward, learning, observing, understanding and reaching out as life pushes me forward into the unknown. As I continue to write and learn and interact with the global community I find that I am certainly not alone. I don’t know where this journey will take me but I do know that there is a very large global community out there who cares about our children and youth of today and of tomorrow. I know together we can take action and make this a better world for them now and in the future. After all, our children are our future!