Mental-health court may signal new focus - Canada

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Mental-health court may signal new focus

Province seemingly taking issue seriously

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/mental-health-court-may-signal-new-focus-123611304.html

If admitting you have a problem is the first step in recovery, Manitoba is starting to deal with its mental-health-care crisis.

Trying to determine how many people are affected by mental illness is akin to the proverbial group of blind men trying to describe an elephant. It depends on where you stand and what you're touching.

The Canadian Mental Health Association says one in five Canadians is affected by mental illness. They'll readily confess they don't have firm numbers. The 20 per cent figure includes family members and friends of the ill.

It's estimated 70 per cent of the homeless are mentally ill. Again, there are no firm numbers.

Reporter Agnes Welch recently revealed wait times to see a Winnipeg psychiatrist have stretched from two to five months. Some people wait more than a year. Getting precise numbers was impossible because no one keeps track.

This month, the province announced it is creating a special court for people with mental illnesses. The aim is to divert people from jails into treatment. The hope is they'll be less likely to reoffend.

The court will have a small staff, including a psychiatrist and community health worker. They're budgeting $600,000 annually for the project.

It's a response to long-term complaints that the same people revolve through the justice system because they need treatment, not jail time. Again, this is an estimate, but some 30 per cent of those who are incarcerated have significant mental-health issues.

Finally, this week it was revealed 58 out of every 100,000 hospital admissions in Manitoba are due to self-injury. The Canadian average is 65 per 100,000. The Canadian Institute for Health Information estimates more Canadians are treated for or die from self-injuries in a year than are hospitalized because of stroke.

The CIHI said that in 2009-2010, about one in nine hospitalizations for a mental illness was followed by a readmission within 30 days of discharge.

If you're still trying to picture that elephant, this may be as close as you get. Mental illness is a huge problem in this country. It's a disease that's often fatal through self-harm.

It costs untold millions through unemployment, sick leaves, hospitalization and incarceration. It often runs hand in hand with addiction.

Why don't we have better numbers? Let's go back to the stigma. What cancer was up until the 1960s, an unspeakable disease some feared was contagious, mental illness is now. Many people consider mental illness to be less sickness and more self-indulgence.

Chammartin, executive director of the Winnipeg Canadian Mental Health Association, says there's no question there's a shortage of programs for the mentally ill. Prevention is a big missing piece.

"You want to stop serious problems before they happen," she says. "We need to start working on mental health."

There is a patchwork of programs in this province. The CMHA publishes a 40-page document that lists services. The organization has an informational referral system. One staff member performs that job.

"Most non-profits aren't funded to market themselves," she says. "We have to let people know we're here."

Mental health care doesn't get near the same amount of funding or attention as other primary health care.

Again, more Canadians are hospitalized or die due to self-harm than are hospitalized due to stroke.

"It's hard to sort of argue for resources when our numbers are only dealing with the tip of the iceberg," says Chammartin. "Politicians fund what they believe people care about."

This is one of the things we should care about. If anything, the numbers and severity of the illness are likely underestimated. Too often it's a silent shame.

The province should be lauded for launching a mental-health court. They should be encouraged to help more people before they run afoul of the law.

There's no ignoring this elephant in the room.

lindor.reynolds@...