Feedback Invitational Brampton

My doctor put me in hospital even though I told him not to. I knew I wouldn’t get better in a hospital. He released me after a week, I went home, and overdosed. This happened several times. I would have preferred a 24 hour crisis service. Recovery can’t take place in hospital. I agree that we need more natural, non-institutional settings and encouragement to take risks. My husband helped me, not the hospital. Talking to someone on the crisis line, even someone I hate, can be enough to make me want to fight and live another day.

I am under mental health on an ongoing basis. I live in a facility and go to a clinic. Whats the sense of the clinic? I’ve asked for help in anger management and been told there is none. They just feed you more pills. You have to help yourself.

I liked the document. It had a lot to say about us helping ourselves. Integration into a job, into the community is important — but it depends on what kind of job. Its going to take more than 3 steps to get people back into the community, back into a job. Lets say a guy loses his job because he’s mentally ill. Then he’s fine and tries to get his job back. He probably won’t be able to. Has to go to court. He’s on disability, has no money, no job. He’s got to tell everyone this.

I’ve been volunteering for 5-6 years. I want a job, but can’t find one.

Regarding the document, I want to say that I’m concerned about the labelling of individuals with mental health issues as ‘consumers’. It has become common for the masses, but it is still derogatory in nature. I don’t want to be known as a consumer; I am first and foremost, a human being. I want to equal to everybody else in this world. Eight years ago, ‘consumer/survivors’ became the greatest thing on earth. That was what you told people you were if you had a mental health issue. But its still a label. I prefer to just come out and say "I have mental health issues that I deal with every day". I’m not a consumer/survivor.

I have three points to make about page two. Under ‘Recovery’: ‘a concept, rather than a belief that people can recover from mental illness’. I personally, don’t wish to deal with a ‘concept’. That is what we already have had to deal with in the past. It doesn’t work. That’s why we’re looking for reform. I want to know if there is any other way of being more committed to the factual proof where studies have proven that people can and do recover from mental illness. Prior to Brian’s Law, we were trying to get people from the hospital into the community. We should be looking at is the true evidence that has been proven by documented research, that people can recover.

On page two under ‘a recovery-oriented approach focusses on…personal empowerment and autonomy’; I think that is patronizing. Personal autonomy is god-given- we shouldn’t need to ‘focus’ on it. This just encourages us to feel that we are given this by others.

Also on page two: ‘best practices’ I would feel better if I knew exactly what is meant by that. What is ‘best practices’ for one person, may not be for another.

In Caledon we have a shortage of services. [even compared to Brampton?] Yes. At the Peace Ranch, we have to come down to PAR every Tuesday to join the clubhouse. I was sexually assaulted by my mother and I went to get counselling in Caledon. The counsellor said it was too dangerous for me to get counselling. She was afraid that I might try suicide or something, if I brought up all the old feelings. So they wouldn’t give me counselling for that. There are buses to Brampton, but they’re few and far between. Services need to be extended to Caledon. There is no psychiatrist, no crisis line.

There is a crisis line. But they’re useless. They all know the routine, they have set questions. They ask you whether you want to go to hospital or not. I don’t want to go to hospital.

One time, when I was volunteering at Out of the Cold, a guy ran out of his meds, was really zoned out. I called the crisis line and they said that they couldn’t come because it was 11 pm. — this is a 24 hour crisis line! They said to call them tomorrow. They said that the guy could carry on a conversation, therefore he must be ok, and why were we calling them?

In Caledon, the closest service is in Orangeville. They have a psychiatrist come in once a month. There is no psychiatric ward at the hospital in Orangeville. But there is a lot of need. We do run a day program and we have a lot of people come in who suffer from schizophrenia or manic depression or whatever the diagnosis may be. We have 10 residents on Wednesdays, but we can get up to 30 people at our day program. They don’t have enough services for that many people. Some people have to go all the way to Guelph to see a psychiatrist. If someone at Peace Ranch is in crisis, there’s no hospital. We have to go to Brampton, an hour’s drive away.

I read the document carefully. I wasn’t impressed. Of course people can recover from mental illness. But certain mental illnesses rebound. Certain mental illnesses are permanent. Certain mental illnesses require that you take meds. You may recover enough to live an adequate life, but you can’t go back to the workplace. Such people shouldn’t feel inadequate.

I was dissatisfied with the document. I didn’t understand it. I see my psychiatrist every month. I have a mutual understanding with him. He doesn’t force meds on me. He is open. I feel that he does a good job diagnosing and medicating me.

[How about diversity-youth?]

How do you define youth?

Youth services kept me out of jail. I got into trouble, they did an assessment with me, gave me 3 years probation, and I had to stay on my meds. I was in Penetang before that. It was terrible.

[Do any services here know anything about forensics?]

No. Nobody knows anything about forensics here. They don’t have forensics here.

There is a staff person at the courthouse.

Court diversion

[Have you experienced discrimination?]

I’ve heard people talk about being discriminated against. Personally, if its there I’m not aware of it.

[Services for those with physical disabilities?]

My husband is supposed to be helping me, but he doesn’t. But the mental health worker said I didn’t need their support. There is transportation, but you have to pay. There aren’t any automatic doors at PAR. The hospital is ok.

[Learning disabilities?]

I can read some, but I have a learning disability. I find it hard to comphrehend things like this document. I’m in a building for special needs. Most of the people in the building — it’s a group home — are ok. But some will call us retarded or slow. I usually just walk away. But sometimes its hard. If we confront, we get into trouble. Police were called on us. We weren’t doing anything wrong.

Until about 5 years ago the PAR program officially couldn’t take anyone with learning disabilities. Now they can, but it actually isn’t a good fit. They are two different illnesses. There’s discrimination both ways.

[Back to general services]

I wanted to go to the funeral of someone in the group home who died. The staff didn’t want me to go. That upset me. I called the crisis line, and they told me it wasn’t a crisis. They referred me to the distress line, which was busy when I tried to call.

We were so upset at suicides that were happening at PAR — but nobody would talk about the fact that they were suicides. They tried to deny it. Finally, they called in a grief counsellor. He gave a workshop and grief counselling. The entire clubhouse turned right around. If it wasn’t for members demanding that, we’d still be all screwed up.

[Why aren’t staff providing that?]

Because that’s not their mandate, not what they’re qualified to do.

[But they’re mental health workers…]

Some of the people working used to sell cars. Some of these people have all sorts of degrees, but no experience with psychiatry. They come in here and work for a while and network and as soon as they get a better paying job, they’re gone.

[Shouldn’t training of staff be a mandate of mental health services?]

I’m better trained with my grade eight education than most of the staff here.

There is no training

[Regarding the document, page 9. Housing?]

That page is a disaster

We were promised 200 beds, we got 120.

We don’t get enough shelter allowance to pay for housing costs.

[More opportunities to go to school or work? Two alternative businesses?]

They had one, but outside interests stuck their noses into it and it went under.

I started a consumer-run coffee shop at the hospital. I went in twice a week to the patients in al the rooms, introduced myself. I did it for 6 months, but then the government cut the funds. This was more than 10 years ago.

There should be three alternative businesses in Peel.

We should start putting proposals together for a viable business. We shouldn’t let the bean-counters decide what kind of business it is.

[Who should it go through? CMHA?]

No, No. None of this umbrella crap. This should be funded entirely separately.

I think that A-Way Express is a good business. We could run it in downtown Brampton. But we need a subway system.

[Should you start networking with the alternative businesses in Toronto?]

No, we should get people together from here. Work from the ground up.

[What about educational supports?]

We do have upgrading courses here.

We shouldn’t be compelled to do anything

[Should people like yourselves be setting up a mental health program with counsellors, grieving processes, etc.?]

365 days a year I am doing just that, for no money. I’m on Mayor’s committees, for homelessness, I’m the vice president for Peel Mental Health Housing Coalition, etc. Its never ending.

[How would you determine whether you were doing a good job with any c/s initiative you might start? How would you measure that?]

Accessibility.

Number of people who attend.

Versatility. If you are able to have many different programs available. Agroup for whatever our needs are.

If I can make friends there. If I can come when I want — days or evenings — but I’m not forced to attend every day.

Should decrease number of hospitalizations

Should be a place (like Eden Place) where you can come and go, shoot the shit, sit in front of the computer, watch tv, not be judged.

A place to do art, music, writing.

We’d need incentives to attract more people

We could have a sign-in, head count, to see how many attend

[How could we attract people; especially from a diverse community?]

Its all hypothetical — we don’t have the money!

Presentations

Go out and shake hands

Tell people that a program exists, make introductions.

Put it in the Guardian (newspaper), radio. [Are you saying advertise in mainstream media?] If the gays and lesbians can come out, so can we!

I’d go to municipal, regional government; stand in front of reporters, challenge them face to face about mental health issues — they know nothing!

[What about people lying under the bed, afraid to come out? How do we reach them?]

Tell them to shake off the dust and come on out!

Tell them: if your life isn’t what you want, if you are hurting, you can’t get any more hurt than you already are, by coming out and trying it out with us.

There is fear in this region about losing funding. There is competition for clients among programs. There shouldn’t be competition — there are enough to go around.

[What is the most important thing for consumer/survivors to do together? If you could do only one thing, what would it be?]

Housing, psychiatrists

Talk to people

Share information, feelings, support, love. People need to be needed.

[Last words?]

Support, literacy, getting around

Not to be told how I feel. Just because I’m slow, doesn’t mean I’m stupid.

I hope the report doesn’t sit on a shelf and rot.

There are 25% of people with mental health issues. If we all stood up, people would have to listen.

We have to reach out further. Peel has a population of 1 million; 25% is 10,000. The groups in Peel aren’t reaching anywhere near that number.

Need education to minimize effects of stigma through the media

The general public has to be well-informed about menatl health issues. The system has to improve somehow. Crisis, Relinc and other services shouldn’t be allowed to keep pawning us off on each other.

I believe that ertain people recover and go back to the work force, but others can’t and shouldn’t fee guilty about it. These people make a contribution anyway.

If you look at the document and hear everything, reform is necessary. I could suggest changes but the funding situation has to become equal.

Creating committees and advisory groups for research, testing, etc. is a waste of money. There should be proper collection of data that is not intrusive to people. Programs already do research and collect statistics. We don’t need any ore task forces or committees. We need to give people understanding and go from there.

Need accessible and adequate knowledge and awareness.

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