Mental health | An urgent call for fast and accessible services



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In a manifesto published Monday in the Debates section in response to the series of reports by print on mental health, we reiterate the observation: access to treatment in Quebec is a labyrinth in which it is easy to get lost and which involves considerable delays.



Spacious Mayssa
Spacious Mayssa
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“We want it to be the system that can help people rather than letting people guide themselves through the system,” launches Dre Claire Gamache, of the Association des médecins psychiatres du Québec. It is much easier to talk to healthcare professionals or community actors than to tell someone in need to call here and there. “It’s up to us to talk to each other. Where things are going well, we are already doing it. But we need more fluidity between the different actors. ”

The signatories – from community organizations and associations of medical specialists – propose three measures to be implemented in the emergency of the health crisis.

The responsibility of the integrated centers of health and social services (CISSS and CIUSSS) must be increased and the implementation of the standards required to create effective access points to adult mental health (GASMA).

“We welcome investments in recent weeks, but there’s a sprinkling dimension in there,” points Dr Olivier Farmer, of the Association des médecins psychiatres du Québec.

It’s not just a question of money, but of responsibility, he argues. It is necessary to establish standards for the CISSS and CIUSSS directorates in relation to the operation of access meters and to require compliance with these standards. “Where management doesn’t really feel responsible, no investments are made in meters. The variable should be a zero tolerance for the wait time, a priority. ”

Accelerate assistance to people in need

A person in distress must be called within 48 hours and his assessment must be done within a week. GASMA who are well organized can even get along a little with the patient.

“People should not be placed on waiting lists where the patient waits for the phone to ring,” insists Dr.r Farmer.

We are also talking about working side by side with community organizations and groups of families and caregivers. The measures can be put in place on the same day the person is discharged from the hospital, if applicable.

“There must be absolutely fluency in communication between the various services so that we can tell a person in need that we will not let them go, that we are in contact, for example, with the CLSC in their neighborhood, who will do a full assessment,” he judges. Jean-Rémy Provost, of Revivre, an organization that helps people with anxiety disorders, depression or bipolar disorder.

“There are repercussions of mental illness on loved ones, often the family is a bit united. We must not leave the family alone, but inform them of the help they can get, ”says Mr. Provost.

Improve home care

The solution also involves developing care in people’s natural environment, such as at home and in local resources when people are experiencing a crisis. There is a stigma associated with a visit to the psychiatric hospital. “If we are discovered by the police and taken to the emergency room, there is resistance. We identify the intervention with something coercive and unpleasant, “explains Dr.r Farmer.

The taboo surrounding mental health can hinder access to care, believes Dr.re Gamache.

“The stigma is everywhere, yet it is 30% to 40% of the visits that general practitioners receive in their offices. We will need teaching that focuses more and more on this. He starts talking to young people very quickly about mental problems and suicide. ”



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