I am so sorry for your loss and I respect that you are trying to evoke positive change to the system. My caution is that the current government would see these types of stories to justify cutting funding to an already exhausted system, which will place even more programs at risk - placing more barriers to accessing help. And furthering the burn out of psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses, reducing the number of mental health beds available, privatizing more (leading of course to care only for those who can afford it). The coming changes are not meant to improve access to healthcare. Underfund Criticize Privatize. I believe the feedback given to them about very tragic losses, like yours, would fit into their Criticize category of their plan.

😮‍💨 I fear that you might be right. What can we do then? I have a meeting with the Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association planned soon. He was instrumental in providing support for me a couple years ago and we held an event in the city that he helped me plan for Suicide Prevention. I have his influential voice in my corner and I know he wants things to change too. I will talk to him about the very good and real points you brought up. Thank you for contributing to the conversation, friend 🤍🤍🤍

We can make a big stink about this being the result of declining health care funding since 2019. In 2019 we had one of the highest funding rates per capita. 2021, we were at the bottom when adjusted for GDP per capita (which is reasonable, because health care salary costs are highly correlated with GDP per capita): [https://afl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CHART\_Total\_health\_expenditure\_as\_a\_percentage\_of\_provincial\_GDP\_\_2021\_1.png](https://afl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CHART_Total_health_expenditure_as_a_percentage_of_provincial_GDP__2021_1.png) It's even worse today in 2024.  The UCP are to blame. Danielle Smith is continuing the defunding that Jason Kenney and Tyler Shandro started. Tyler Shandro was the health (and later justice) minister who yelled at his physician neighbour for writing about his conflicts of interest in Facebook, and subsequently lost his seat in 2023. He also owns a private health care insurance company that is trying to expand, and recently was appointed to sit on the board of Covenant Health. Point fingers at the party that defunded health care while we were all going through a pandemic. Doctors have been leaving the province in droves.

I was just as bad before the UCP came back into power. Back in 2017, I lost my best friend to suicide because of the lack of resources and help here. My best friend was only 16, I was 17. Back then I was homeless, working 2 jobs and I stayed in school. I went through a lot of stuff because of being homeless and social services told me to look after myself. Not only did I go through hell alone while being homeless, but my best friend also ended his life. So please don't just blame one party/ one person. It's our government as a whole and everyone needs to come together to advocate for change. It's not just one person's fault, it's everyone's. We have to take steps ourselves to see the change we want and need. Everyone needs to bring awareness, and spread the news that we need change. Changing people in government won't make that change, because anything a politician says to get voted in is just saying the lies we want to hear to get them in. That won't do anything, we have to talk to the government/(s) in power right now. We need our councilors and mayor in our city to recognize and acknowledge this and help advocate for us. We need our provincial government to also advocate and do whatever they can to help us. Not only that, but Justin Trudeau has to take action and put programs in place for everyone.

First off, I am very sorry for your loss. That sounds like a terrible thing to go through. We definitely need better mental health services. I know I didn't go for years until I had benefits coverage, due to cost. And you are right that not every problem is fixed magically by changing political parties. However... >Changing people in government won't make that change, Changing the people in government has changed funding in a significant way. Here is an economic report on the cost-cutting measures between 2020 to 2022 which saw doctors leave the province in droves. >In 2020, Alberta spent an average of $6,180 per person on health care, about 4.1% above the national average ($5,940). By 2022, Alberta brought spending down to $5,960 per person—3.1% below the national average ($6,150). From: [https://businesscouncilab.com/insights-category/economic-insights/weekly-econ-minute-health-spending/](https://businesscouncilab.com/insights-category/economic-insights/weekly-econ-minute-health-spending/) Note that they only looked at 2 years, but there have been 3 additional years of cuts in 2019-2020, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024. [https://www.theprogressreport.ca/health\_funding\_in\_alberta\_continues\_to\_erode](https://www.theprogressreport.ca/health_funding_in_alberta_continues_to_erode) The system is funding less and less, not more and more. More people will continue to fall between the cracks, not less. >Justin Trudeau has to take action and put programs in place for everyone. I'm not a fan of the guy either, but health services funding is a provincial responsibility.

[https://globalnews.ca/news/10533309/alberta-ucp-legislature-sitting-overreach/](https://globalnews.ca/news/10533309/alberta-ucp-legislature-sitting-overreach/) Greed & Power > Local autonomy...

‘Justin Trudeau has to take action’. I don’t know whether to 🤣 or 😢

I agree. It doesn’t matter what party is in power, the healthcare is always inadequate. And it doesn’t matter how much money is ‘injected’ into the system, it’s always ‘underfunded’. It’s the same in every province. If this was private enterprise the board of directors would rightfully say ‘the system is flawed and needs to be redesigned’ but because of the endless supply of taxpayers money we just carry on demanding more funding. It’s telling that everything in the government’s bailiwick is ran like an inefficient contraption.

u/SadWeb4830 First and foremost, I am deeply sorry for the loss of your best friend. This breaks my heart because it's another entirely avoidable tragedy, had they received the support they needed when it still counted. I'm so sorry you know this pain so intimately. I commend you for having the strength to stay with us and continue, despite the immense hardship I'm sure you've faced. How can we live in a society where someone can be homeless while maintaining not one, but two jobs? I, too, experienced homelessness for about two months (it was during the filming of the podcast episode I shared in the original post). Sometimes, I slept at the office after everyone left. I don't know how I found the strength to keep going, but I defied even my expectations. I wanted you to know, that I am meeting with a Policy Advisor in Edmonton in a couple of hours. She has connections with the Canadian Mental Health Association as well. I'm going to refer to your post (an many others) to see what we can do about the state of our province and how we talk about, think about, and treat mental health. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing some of your most painful experiences with us. You're vulnerability is strength. I see and hear you 🫂 ❤️‍🩹

I hate how it always seems to come down to money. Looking at the graph you shared, I'm ashamed to see how we are the lowest. Makes me sick to think about how, in a conference room somewhere, people in expensive suits are congratulating themselves for this "achievement".

I would also be interested in the answer to this question.

u/gamutalarm, I'll ask the Policy Advisor I'm meeting with today. See what she thinks we can do.

You have so many people willing to back you up and be so grateful for your time and courage.

u/Ok-Anywhere-1807, I don't even know what to say other than... Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have a meeting with a Policy Advisor in Edmonton in about 2 hours. I'm going to talk about all of this and more. Just looking for the next step to take here. As I can see from this post I made, there are so many people here that have a voice and need to be heard.

I will probably get some nasty msgs after this but fuck it. I did pm op, but stories like this should be shared so mental health issues are not so scrutinized and misunderstood. So here is my story (well part of it): I struggled with depression and anxiety as a teenager, but mental health wasn’t a thing then. So I did not seek help until I was 19, I was originally diagnosed anxiety and put into talk therapy. I could afford it then because I had benefits. Flash forward to me being 27, life stresses got worse and my condition got worse. I saw a gp and was put on Ativan. I was told to take it when I needed it, so I did. But the more I told it, the more I needed it (addiction). I kept going to the gp (hard to even find one) and he would just refill the prescription. I was self harming and had self harm thoughts. I saw a specialist at that clinic to make sure my blood pressure issues were because of anxiety and not physical issues. He saw the marks on my arm, actually sat down with me and then called ambulance. I was taken to royal alexander and released within 24 hours. I was upfront with everything, but they said because I didn’t have a concrete plan I was fine. Few months later, I’m still cutting and my friend convinced me to go to the er. Same thing, held for a bit, given Ativan and released with no follow up. This is were my brain gets a bit foggy, trauma response. I was still cutting, still not in a good place, still didn’t have any follow up appts. At this point my gp put me on medical leave because of “stress” (yeah my work didn’t accept that, but that’s another story). My good friend called a wellness check on me, got to the hospital was held for 72 hours in the hallway, was told again because I had no plan, they couldn’t hold me. Few weeks later, I cut too deep. Friend called wellness check on me. Police and ambulance show up, okay fine here we go again. I thankfully go to grey nuns (awesome for any mental health issues!). I get put in a solo room. In the morning I talk to the psychiatrist, asked the same questions… but this time he asked what I thought and if I should be committed. I said yes. So they voluntarily held me (they change that later). And thank god for that man, because I wouldn’t have made it much longer. I ended up being diagnosed with bipolar type 2, GAD, panic disorder and boarder line. I stayed there for a month and finally had answers. Then Covid hit. I wanted to stay longer than a month but they released 90% of the ward because of Covid. I even told them I was okay to leave yet. We also didn’t really know what was going on, and this was the beginning of Covid, so we are discharged to a society that’s afraid and difficult to even get a doctor’s appt. Few months later, on a bucket of meds not being monitored by anyone, it gets bad again. I attempted to commit not once, not twice but three times. Broke my leg the one time because I couldn’t walk because of how many meds I took. Self admitted to the grey nuns again, told them if I left I would be alive tomorrow. Stayed there for another month. Meds were adjusted and an outside therapist and cbt and dbt therapy was assigned. I do all of this. My outside therapist, thought I was over medicated (I was) and so I spent a year slowly going off of them. Remember I’m not working, and my meds were at least $535 a month if I remember correctly. I have spent the last 4 years, doing cbt, dbt course whatever I can do. Med adjustments, you name it. I only had that therapist for a short while, as she was covered under ahs and only had some sessions covered. Now, it’s a bit better. I had a daughter, I have a new therapist. I’m still waiting on a referral to a new psychiatrist. My meds changed three months ago because I wouldn’t leave the doctors office until he did something. The med change has been the best move I ever did. But I had to fight for it. I had to fight to be healthy. I had to fight to get help and I still do. Now try doing that with those diagnoses. I don’t regret it and I do have some bad bad days. But I still have to fight for any common compassion, health care or humanity.

I’m so proud of you for fighting for yourself. I’m so frustrated that your meds aren’t covered, this is another huge flaw in the system. Keep on fighting

Thank you. Onions are soo not being cut.

It seems you have to have an illicit drug addiction to have your drugs covered.

No I have an autoimmune condition and Alberta takes a long time to approve medications. I have eyedrops that cost $350 a month. Health Canada approved them in 2017 or around then, but Alberta still hasn’t put them on the list of drugs covered by blue cross. Prevents inflammation of the eyes. Many chemo patients are also in similar boats. Educate yourself on our healthcare system before making assumptions.

Have you checked to see if other provinces have approved and covered it? What chemotherapy drugs are not covered in Alberta that are covered in other provinces?

I don’t know, but if it’s an approved health Canada drug there’s no reason it shouldn’t be approved. I don’t have time to sort through each provinces list of approved meds, especially not meds I’m not taking. I do know other provinces have appeal processes for case by case, which Alberta does not. Many compounded drugs are also not covered by public insurance, which includes a lot of prescription creams and gels for various skin conditions. Alberta Blue cross (non group, so for those that don’t have work coverage) also only covers 80% of medication costs. This can quickly add up if you’re disabled and can’t work. Imagine not being able to afford your medications. Like I said, do your own research. There’s literally no reason effective prescription drugs shouldn’t be accessible for people that need them.

Struggled with mental health all through my life, it only started improving after 30. and let me tell ya. It's been horrible here, and society totally stigmatizes me as being worthless majority of the time. Eventually just had to play the cards I was dealt but generally this road is not filled with support society pretends to have for us

I’m sorry to hear that you struggle as well. And you are correct on the statement of, the road is not filled with support society pretends to have for us.

Thank you, and just wanna add. thanks for sharing aswell my friend

I envy your tenacity, after I asked for a different therapist twice and being refused due to shortage of therapists and being denied a change in meds thrice I just gave up and stopped going assuming the coping mechanisms ive built over 28 years will carry me at least another 30 years hopefully

Don’t give up. I got turned away as well for being a “complex” case. You got this. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Today my car was blocked in by a fire truck and an ambulance that had come to aid a young man who had plugged a table saw into an outside outlet and cut off his hand. I kid you not. The poor guy who came to his aid - who was clearly shaken and will probably need mental health support himself after dealing with something like that - said the man had been hearing voices I don't know all the statistics but I know people who need help who aren't getting it and then I see things like this and it makes me so fucking angry. I'm so sorry you lost your brother.

What a tragic story for everyone involved.

Oh my God… what a tragedy for everyone involved… When it comes to psychosis, I feel like there isn’t nearly enough support for these poor souls. We just push medication at them in hopes it’ll stop. If that doesn’t work, often, we resort to sending police to aid and that makes things worse… then things like this happen.

What would you suggest for someone experiencing psychosis besides medications or the police?

Great question. This is a complex issue. Someone in active psychosis isn’t generally going to voluntarily go to a hospital; they often are brought by family or loved ones *if* those loved ones are able to physically bring them there in their own vehicles, but if someone doesn’t have a loved one capable of doing that then….? Involuntarily rounding up people on the street who appear to be having psychosis and then forcing them into psychiatric confinement has a lot of icky undertones. In many cases someone in active psychosis may be a threat to others as well as themselves (ex: hand and table saw) and so police are called because they are in a line of work where they are expected to deal with active threats. Obviously prevention is key here, somehow identifying those who are at risk of psychosis and providing (voluntary) treatment and monitoring to address it. But it’s an impossible game to win. Someone with psychosis creeping in is likely to avoid interventions due to said psychosis. It’s very easy to criticize the “meds and police” response but there’s not a lot of options. I’d argue the best prevention is to be surrounded by a robust social circle and family with the energy and resources to respond to mental health changes but that’s impossible idealism.

My mom’s doctor blamed me for her mental health problems after her first suicide attempt and that she should kick me out.  It also took the doctor years to diagnose her with health problems.  It took multiple visits with different doctors over 8 years for one to finally tell me I tore my rotator cuff. And it took 4 doctors and multiple scans & visits with my foot to still not know what is wrong with my foot. Each doctor told me something different. So sorry for your loss by the way. It’s hard to loose a family member, especially in that way.

Thank you for talking to me about your experiences and for sharing your sentiment about my own 💔❤️‍🩹 I myself am a healthcare provider, in dentistry but nonetheless. This is malpractice and a doctor should not inject their prejudices in this way. That should have never happened. All those lost years where you could have been healing, rather than simply coping… I’m so sorry, friend ❤️‍🩹

T.W for my last paragraph Our whole healthcare system sucks. Back when I just turned 19 my knee got injured. I went to the doctor right away because I was in the worst pain that I had ever experienced. My doctor told me to go for an X-ray and ultrasound (Nothing showed up on either of the tests). Then to wait 3 weeks and I should be fine, but after 3 weeks it got worse. So I went back and was told to wait 6 weeks. Long story short after 6 months of this I went for an MRI, but only severe swelling showed up. My doctor had me go to physiotherapy and I did a full year of physiotherapy which only made my pain worse. I started researching my issues and symptoms after I got the MRI to try to figure out what was wrong. My knee issue just kept getting worse and I was in so much pain. Walking started getting very difficult for me and I couldn't carry much while walking. I wasn't able to walk to the gym with my gym stuff anymore because of the pain. After 6 months of researching, I finally came across a diagnosis that hit all the marks. But I'm not a doctor so I went to see my doctor and told him everything including why I thought the diagnosis could be accurate. He ended up agreeing with me and sent me for another MRI. The MRI showed exactly what was wrong at that time. My doctor told me that I have Patellar Subluxation I looked at him and was so happy that I finally had a diagnosis but that I was also correct with my educated guess. However, he went on and told me that I have a knee deformity from birth so I'm missing cartilage around my patella. Therefore I have permanent patellar subluxation. This happened back in 2019, I had so much hope that something could help me and I could go back to having a somewhat normal life. But recently when I saw my doctor he told me that he and no one else could do anything to help me. He told me the only thing he could do was prescribe me painkillers (which I turned down because prescription painkillers aren't meant for chronic pain, they didn't help me 2 years ago. They made my pain worse and led me to become dependent on them. Which was its own hell) so my doctor told me to just accept the fact that I'm physically disabled and stuck living with chronic pain for the rest of my life. Our Healthcare sucks so much I'm only 23, I lost so much of my life because of this. I've been getting help for my mental health long before I got injured. So while my mental health has improved in a lot of places, I've been struggling in a lot of other areas. My life feels so pointless now, I struggle a lot because of my chronic pain. I don't see a point in living anymore. What's the point in suffering every day for the rest of my life. My mobility is poor and after doing some walking around in a mall I'm unable to leave my home or do much because my chronic pain gets so much worse. I'm sorry for the dark turn, I'm just really struggling with it all. I wish I had an option but I can't find any and my doctor doesn't seem to care anymore. So yeah.

After months of sitting on a waiting list, I finally saw a therapist (that was 30-40 minutes late) and he was immediately judgmental. Didn't care to engage with me, he literally said "you're the boss" like I am supposed to be the therapist, so he can just sit there and nod his head. So we talk about general things. He says "Is it possible you're bored?" and says my depression is "mild" because I was still in a routine. After a very unproductive 10-15 minutes, he's pressuring me to take meds. That's all they care to do. Just take these meds and shut the fuck up, basically.

Sounds like you're seeing a psychiatrist, they're the only ones who can prescribe drugs (outside of medical doctors). Those people are useless. I had one tell me that the abuse I endured from infancy thru to adulthood had nothing to do with how I was feeling and that I couldn't be depressed because I was smiling, laughing and wearing makeup. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I see a psychologist now, they can't prescribe drugs, and he's amazing! So far he's managed to keep me on this planet, for now.

That's so heartbreaking to hear, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. That's so messed up, you should report him. I had a horrible physiatrist as a kid. Who only listened to my parents and kept upping my meds. It was horrible. I see an amazing psychiatrist at Access Open Minds. I've been seeing him since I was 18. He has helped me a lot, he never pushed meds on me, and has taken me seriously since the beginning. He has had a huge positive impact on my life and quality of life. He also helped me get a therapist, but I had to wait 2 years for a therapist. Since then I've had a few different therapists because they kept getting promoted which is good for them. But not the best for me because it is hard to start from the beginning again. I don't find it as helpful as the help I get from my psychiatrist. I wish that I could afford better help though.

Gosh, I’m so fucking sorry to hear about your brothers passing. I have had a really bad/negative experience, but it was not with mental health, it was with overnight surgery and how I was treated due to overcrowding and overworked nurses. There was some serious neglect on their part towards me.

Thank you, friend ❤️‍🩹 And I’m sorry you didn’t get the recovery experience you deserve. Our city has to fund what matters most- its people, especially the ones in need. Look at the Ice District in comparison to the Mental Health Ward at our hospitals… Priorities…

I agree with your sentiment, but the city is not responsible for healthcare, that's a provincial responsibility. Ice district and the like is funded by the city and some federal and private sources, while all of the public hospitals and healthcare facilities are funded by AHS which gets a mixed source from the AB govt (taxes and some fed funding) and a tiny trickle of private donations.

I didn’t even get nightly meds- they skipped over me because the two people I was shoved into a room with (there were three of us in a two patient room and I had no call button, and I was in the corner) were much more fragile then I was. So they ignored me. Not great considering I was supposed to be on blood thinners and pain medications.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. T.W When I went into the hospital for mental health struggles they wouldn't let me take my prescription meds that my psychiatrist prescribed me for my mental health including my insomnia. I went in late at night with my best friend and told them I needed my meds to sleep. They told me to wait for the doctor, so I had to wait all night and got no sleep. I also struggle with chronic pain due to a physical disability so sleep is important to help bring down the swelling, etc. So in the morning when the doctor came, they asked what was up and told me that I could go home and I should be fine. But my sister had plans with me that same day and we had to go dress shopping for bridesmaid dresses for my other sister and I. As they were for my sister's wedding. But after having no sleep that night I was still in a lot of pain from the day before and was struggling to walk. Because the pain was so bad, my sister started guilt-tripping me and making me feel bad. We ended up arguing and she kicked me out of her car. At a red light, so I got out and had to struggle to a patch of grass. My sister told my best friend that she could stay so she stayed with my sister and left me alone. I was just stuck on the ground waiting for my sister to calm down and come get me. But I was stuck on the ground for an hour + waiting for her. Long story short I tried overdosing and ended up back at the hospital. I went into a huge spiral, because of it all. It was a horrible experience and I ended up losing my friend over it. But honestly for her to ditch me for my sister multiple times she clearly didn't care about me.

I'm going to send you a PM when I get a moment. I have much to say, both my own stories and those of close friends I met along the way (with their permission). Years worth of fighting for ahs to actually treat me ETA: sent a pm of what I could write out now, if you'd like more details let me know

I’ll read your message and anything else you wish to write about I’ll certainly read as well. Thank you for letting me hear you. I vow to use your voice to amplify mine when I meet with the Minister, and I of course will always respect your anonymity 🤝❤️‍🩹

I am so sorry for your loss. A couple of years ago, I was on a walk with a friend, and we saw someone climb up on the ledge of the Walterdale bridge. She kept climbing up and down. We were too far away to do anything aside from call 911 and scream at the top of our lungs for her to stop. She got down and was taken to the hospital. I think of her sometimes, and I hope she's on a better path. There were definitely a couple of sleepless nights for me after seeing that. I hate knowing that our most vulnerable aren't getting the help they need, and I worry our current government is only making things harder for people.

Sorry for your loss.

Thank you, my friend ❤️‍🩹

You're welcome

I will send you a pm shortly. I’m so sorry for your loss. The system has been broken for a long time and even when I asked for help, I didn’t get it for years and almost lost my life because of it.

I’ll look out for your PM, if it hasn’t already come in. Thank you for reaching out. It’ll be an honour to hear your story, friend ❤️‍🩹🕊️🤝

It might be helpful to encourage politicians and or people in charge of mental health funding to really emphasize complex care to truly be client-centred. Lots of centralized therapy models in bigger healthcare systems are moving to “solutions focused” and getting people in and out in a set number of sessions. Politicians may argue this is to reduce wait times, this kind of therapy often isn’t the most helpful and can be harmful for people with complex mental health diagnoses, intersecting mental health-neurodiversity or intellectual disabilities, and/or people with trauma. It’s like putting a band aid over a bullet hole. Government needs to turn diverse programs for mental health for ALL people with ALL mental health concerns and needs instead of trying to fit people into certain models that get people in and out in the fastest time possible without practitioners having their hands tied or being punished for fighting back against the systems that try to limit them. I’m really sorry about what happened to your brother.

I lost my sister many years ago-she was ridiculously over medicated by her doctor who is at the Grey Nuns Hospital (he was practicing at the old General Hospital at that time). He had advised her to cut off contact with all of her family members which was absolutely ridiculous. Ours were the only healthy relationships she had in her life but he was aware that we had sent a letter to the College of Physicians and Surgeons regarding her levels of medication. She was walking around in a fog and was in a suicidal depression most of the time. We ultimately lost her when she was 27. She had a little boy who would turn 6 eleven days after she passed. He joined my family after a courthouse battle with his father who had no interest in him until his mom passed. We weren’t about to let him go through another devastating loss. The point is, the system was as messed up in 1988 as far as mental health care as it is today. My neighbor lost her 26 year old daughter to a Fentanyl overdose 2 years ago. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was in and out of the hospital multiple times but mostly just brief visits and sent home. They didn’t want to deal with her because she was a drug addict and that’s the absolute truth. Her family was torn apart by her passing. The whole situation is tragic.

I’m so sorry for the loss of your sister, and an innocent child mother, a daughter and a friend. The way I see it, we all lost a sister that day too. And my heart breaks too for your neighbour who lost an innocent daughter at still such a tender age, a cocoon of budding potential. My brother was 26 when he left us too. In November of that year, my cousin left us too. The last time I would see him was at my brother’s funeral a few months prior to that. More can, should, and will be done to intervene on these people who need their dignity and our humanity, before it’s too late, and I will die believing that to be true.

I applaud your dedication and optimism. Unfortunately, I have little faith in the medical profession. I worked in the emergency admitting department for 19 years and saw how the system worked like revolving doors for so many of the psychiatric patients and it just didn’t seem like very many of them actually got better. The majority of them seemed to be over medicated (actually addicted to their medications that were turning them into zombies). I’m very sorry to hear of your losses-I know how very painful it is. I also lost a 15 year old niece to a drug overdose-she had been in recovery and was doing really good but had a teenage situation and that’s all it took. A single, not even serious problem that I’m sure she would have seen differently the next day-if she had only waited one more day. There are so very many people out there who are hurting and need help, not judgment. I used to go out on a women’s ministry van that went around the inner city and offered lunches, clothing, hygiene supplies, a safe place to escape from abusive johns, boyfriends etc. We would provide lunches , gloves and socks for the men but they were not allowed on the van. It was a safe place for women. Almost all were drug addicts but they were respectful to us because they were treated with respect and dignity by us. In the 8 years that I did it, I only once had to ask a lady to leave the van and when she didn’t want to, the other ladies who were on the van had my back and she ended up getting off without incident. We went out 7 days a week from 10 pm until 2 am. Unfortunately it was shut down during COVID and I’m no longer able to go out due to health issues. It was the most satisfying experience I have ever had. These people need help-they NEVER choose to be in the situation they are in. Many of them have been groomed to be sex trade workers by their own mothers from a very young age. It drives me crazy when people say they chose their lifestyle. Nobody has the right to say that when they have not taken the time to speak with any of the people they are talking about. It hurts everyone involved. Again, I’m sorry for your losses

As a psych nurse, I am so terribly sorry that the system failed your brother. Thank you for sharing his story. All the hugs.

Thank you for participating in this discussion and for what you do. You have an important job and you most certainly impact lives. Thank you, from all of us who are currently/ have already/ or are yet to depend on you ❤️‍🩹🫂🤝

My fiancée was 21 when she took her life. I took her to the UofA ER where, as far as I know, she told them that she had a plan and the means, and she would execute said plan if they discharged her. They discharged her. She died less than a week later. She had been in and out of ERs for suicidal ideation and consistent self harm for at least 2.5 years. 2 attempts in about 2 months landed her a bed at the Grey Nuns for 3-4 weeks, and then into a 6 week outpatient program after she was discharged. This was spring 2015. December 2015, about 2 weeks before Christmas she left our apartment in the middle of the night and ended it. I’ve spent a lot of time since wondering what I can do to bring awareness to this. Because my fiancée was not the first, and was clearly not the last person to seek help and be turned away. I’d love to talk more about this with you. And also my condolences on your loss.

There is so much wrong with our system 90% of people don't even know, I grew up in the "system" (AHS) and my family and i make the jokes about cracks in the system and i found every single one of them (not the good ones)........ and after 30 years of this bullshit... All you have is yourself. sure maybe sometimes someone or something comes along and lifts you up but that is only temporary everything fades even family sadly. but I wouldn't rely on anything else.

I totally see this perspective, and I think it’s valid. I just can’t help it… I want (so badly) to believe that things can be better- even if just a fraction. If I can save one life even, that would be invaluable. But I wholeheartedly see the validity of this perspective. I stubbornly just don’t want to believe it 😮‍💨😞

Well all you can do it help the next person you see in trouble and try to make this world a little better one person at a time.

Exactly what I mean to do ❤️‍🩹🤝

I had a psychiatrist at the Grey Nuns hospital tell me that I wouldn’t be suffering from mental health issues if I had waited to have sex like god wanted. This was in either March or May of 2020.

Omg I’m so sorry they even thought to say that

Ya spent all night waiting in the ER, slept there and then had him tell me that and discharged me. Piece of shit dude and doctor

What a joke. I hope you are better now

It took a long time but I’m doing much better. Still struggle but I haven’t gotten that low since.

That’s not just malpractice, but a horrific display of lack-of-humanity. Why this ever happened to you is maddening and I feel angry on your behalf. I’m so sorry that, someone so wrong, made you ever believe something so false about yourself, and any way that that continued to impact you thereafter. 🫂❤️‍🩹

I’m not sure if it will help you, but I hope it does. I’m sorry for your loss and I hope you are able to get the results you are looking for. If you want more info, you can dm me

Please tell me you reported him to the college of physicians. Doctors like that can’t be allowed to continue to practice. Thats wild.

I never did unfortunately. Too ashamed and messed up. Looking back now, I really wish I had.

Thank you for sharing. How sad, he had such talent.

Thank you for listening to his music. I didn’t even know he had some many songs completed until after we recovered them… Honestly, thank you for letting his music play and listening 🫂🫂💔

Not myself, but my friend, she was trying to check herself into psychiatric care, they kept denying her, she had 3 failed suicide attempts before she finally was admitted. I am grateful she's still here because others are not so lucky, but she called the distress line and whatever other lines are available who are supposed to help you when you're at your lowest, and they failed her. She also later went into rehab, she was going to extend her stay for another few months, her health team abandoned her, so she checked out sooner than she intended. She's doing OK at the moment, but has been close to relapsing a few times.

I’m so heartbroken for your precious friend, and for you too, because witnessing this is horrifying as well. I pray that, if not this thread, then perhaps the podcast episode I linked in this post, or maybe even my brother's song that plays at the end of it, could become a ripple of hope for her that might turn into a wave. It's worth fighting the good fight to give yourself a chance, despite the ignorance of others. We can defy even our own expectations, and it's worth trying. ❤️‍🩹

Hi OP, I'm training as a therapist and recently did my practicum and saw impacts on my clients. I can't really talk about it, but I was really surprised how hard it is to get into the hospital. It seems like even if there's a plan, people get turned away. I feel like for clients with chronic suicidality a totally separate approach and support is needed. Anyway...I wanted to add that bringing up the drug overdoses in recent years might be important because many users suffer from extreme trauma histories and mental illness. Many ODs may just as well be counted as suicides. Unless the drug epidemic is treated as a crisis, our government is choosing to euthanize hundreds of mentally ill people a year, de facto. I get that it's a hard demographic to work with, but there needs to be options available for people who want to try to make a change...allowing people to kill themselves is unconscionable. And a significant number of those folks are indigenous people who are bearing the impacts of intergenerational trauma from residential schools, the scoop, etc. and the continued desolation of suicides and deaths amongst family and community members. It's still genocide. 

It really sucks for stories like this to have to come up for people to be aware of how vital healthcare is to everyone. My oldest cousin hung himself in his parents garage in 2013 when he was only 24, and I’ll be 24 this year. I understand the pain you deal with everyday.

Love that you’re doing this. I’m so sorry for your loss and this is a beautiful way to honour your brothers life. I personally don’t have an experience to share which is a blessing but I know many can’t say the same. I wish you luck in your efforts ❤️

Seeking professional support has opened my eyes to why I react to situations the way I do, revealing how my childhood experiences and the ever-changing Western culture have shaped me. Armed with this knowledge, I've begun the difficult but necessary process of self-improvement. Setting goals and holding myself accountable by verbalizing them aloud, I've learned to stay true to my word, ensuring that I continue to learn and grow. Through this journey, I've come to appreciate the value of time and have discovered the true meaning of mindfulness. If anyone needs to talk. Because they are going through something. I mean anyone reading this please send me a DM. we can call / text. I'm a great listener.

Ensure your argument is based around funding - it's often that the care teams know people are being under serviced, but the pressures on the system are too great. Funding cuts create inefficiencies and deficiencies, which then the UCP use to bring privatization into discussion. Make no mistake, privatizing needs is not the way. We need more public funding to create stronger systems. I'm sorry for what you've been through.

My daughter was there this previous Wednesday. She was brought in by ambulance from our local hospital because of suicidal thoughts. She spent 11 hours in our local hospital until a bed opened up somewhere which ended up being the Royal Alex hospital. She spent about 15 hours in the Jside in emergency thinking and hoping she was going to be admitted. Only to be released with a booklet about feelings. Not at all helpful. They think making a bunch of photos copies about identifying your feelings is doing something? Seems to be the way. My daughter has a history of depression for 11 years. She spent time in Alberta Hospital the year before. What does it take to get some help? They did ask if she had a ride. Which she did. I picked her up. I’m not how it would be handled if she didn’t have a ride.

Mental health is shit everywhere I was forced to stay on a 24 hour hold while in Kentucky and was raped because they had me on so many meds. I’ve watched numerous friends fall through the cracks and be chewed up by the system. Best of luck we had a lawyer and he told us no one takes on hospitals.

I lived in alberta from 2001 - age 9 - 2021 moved to newfoundland in 2021 for a year and moved back to alberta December 2022. Last year I had started getting pains in my stomach which I didn't think to much of but then after a couple of days the pain became unbearable. I went to Grey nuns and waited for 8 hours on a Sunday night I still couldn't get in so I went to Devon ER at like midnight. There was 3 people on front of me and it took 3 hours to get in there. They did quickly determine the cause was appendicitis but they couldn't do anything about it but keep me drugged until they could send me to leduc for a CT scan to confirm the next day. I got shipped to leduc to get scanned but was then sent back to devon fir the CT scan results which confirmed I did have appendicitis and it did rupture. I was unable to get operated on in devon or leduc so they had to send me to fort sask for the surgery which took place on the thursday I essentially went from Monday to thursday with a ruptured appendix in 3 different hospitals and was more or less told just not to move the whole time to not make things worst. To top the whole thing off where I was out of alberta for a year my medical wasn't intact and they tried to send me a bill for xxxx cash. I don't remember the exact amount but I think somewhere between 1-3k which was an absolute nightmare to deal with. Want to talk about jumping through hoops of phone tag... that was a ride.

What…. the actual… fuck… And they had the audacity to ask you to pay them for your miracle- for the ordeal they put you through; that could have killed you. I’m so fkn glad you’re still here, but my god, I am so sorry…. Thank you for sharing, friend ❤️‍🩹

You are deluding your self if you think the goal of the significant changes in ahs is better quaility care

It's almost as if the purpose of this post is to speak out against the changes

Of course it is! The management is very well cared for!!

Good on ya

Wow I'm glad you got so inspired! This is the stuff movies are made of

I was beaten and strangled within an inch of my life by a patient we did not have the staff, resources, or facility to care of. My supervisor and coworkers sat there. That was in 2016. Im still working with WCB to get back to work.

2007, I was 26 :( was given a bed for 4 days after I very nearly succeeded in ☠️ myself then kicked out after talking to a psychiatrist once who suggested I read the Marquee De Sade and be on my way in the morning. I almost tried again but instead found some solace in a Buddhist monk at a small temple here in the city. Other hospitals wouldn’t take me either citing lack of beds. Second attempt was in 2012 on the high level but emergency response was so damn fast I couldn’t traumatize the responders by letting go.

I'm so glad you're still here

Zzz,t too zzzzzzzxxZzzxZzv I EE RTe we re rrsr

I sent you a PM, I’m so sorry for your loss and it pains me to see how many others fall through the cracks in the system. One thing that always stuck out, I sent you the whole story, but during one of the ER visits in YEG, a nurse told me that as long as I could hold down my job, I wouldn’t be granted access to psychiatric help. If I could work it couldn’t possibly be that bad. I guess in their eyes you have to be unemployed to be in distress. I’m lucky to be okay, but that was so disheartening to imagine how many must be denied help.

Went to the 24/7 access to be sent downtown to be sent right back to 24/7 (did this lap twice before giving up seeking help at all), the whole thing is a sham and if theres a lack of doctors lower the bar, id rather mediocre care than no care at all. The whole system is fucked but that doesnt mean its not salvageable.

https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/5cf4eb03-f7a6-4965-a003-ee110c2dce02/resource/05e87604-3074-4026-add4-329d3c31c33a/download/2014-fatality-report-cormier.pdf

I think you should also accept submissions about Covenant health. They are funded by AHS and I think it’s so disappointing they’re still allowed to serve in our communities. I have a family member with major heart problems. One day, I started feeling severe chest pain, and my fingernails were going blue. After I had fainted a few times, I went to the grey nuns. highlights of my experience: - I couldn’t stay standing too long or I would pass out. I asked a passing nurse if I could sit down while keeping my place in line, and she was not receptive to the idea. - I was told by the triage nurse: 1. That since I was able to finish my shift before going to the hospital, that im fine and shouldn’t be here 2. that my blood pressure was low but “not low enough that i’d even show you” and turned the monitor away when i looked at it 3. asked me “what do you want us to do.” in a very dismissive and annoyed manner. 4. I mentioned how I was nauseous, so he decided that it must be COVID, and sent me to the quarantined area cramped with all the COVID patients, potentially exposing me to the virus. - The doctor that saw me: 1. Couldn’t figure out the cause, so he told me my symptoms were caused by “anxiety issues”, despite my insistence that there was nothing going on in my life that would cause this kind of anxiety. 2. Would not give me any options for a second opinion, like a referral to a cardiologist. I was there for about 21 hours total and made to feel like a total burden the whole time.

I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. It's an all too common story, and it's so hard to hear about other people having bad experiences in the mental health system. I offer all my love. Having had a long stint of bad mental in my mid twenties, I had horrible treatment at both the Alberta Hospital (2017) and Grey Nuns (2018). As well as terribly beaurocracy from Access. At the Alberta Hospital, the beds are so uncomfortable that they recommended bring a mattress topper, I had so much trouble sleeping and given no relief. They would also confiscate things to entertain yourself at night, so that you would have nothing to do if you were up the late hours like I was, all I was allowed to do was stare at the ceiling. To make things worse, the psychiatrist on deck was coercive, and deceptive. He gave me a diagnosis without telling me (bpd) and him and the nurses coerced me into getting Electro convulsion therapy (shock treatment) through asking me nearly hourly if I wanted to get it. My parents at the time didn't want to live with me either and knew that my step dad was abusive. When they talked about discharging me, I said I was homeless and had no where to go except beg my parents which I was not going to do. The nurses then told my parents that I was going to stay with them and my step dad was absolutely fucking furious. The Alberta Hospital was a slog, it was incredibly boring because there was often just nothing to do (something shared with other wards). To compound things, it's in the middle of nowhere so you have no where to go. God the food is so bad to the point of being non edible, and I'm not really a picky eater. I refused to eat my month and a half stay, and relied on a friend to bring food. I lost about 30 pounds that stay. The Alberta Hospital was bad, you'd see people leave the ward, only to come back a week later. They were mostly younger people dealing with financial issues and depression. _ To give a bit of background info, I'm a trans woman who's always suffered from depression/adhd/Bpd, that was aggravated after I lost my job and then my house due to me coming out. _ The grey nuns admittance process was dehumanizing. Despite my arresting officer saying that I was cooperative and seemed to longer pose a risk to myself. They put me in their solitary area (not sure what it's actually called). The nurse assured me that if I needed something I could knock at the door and ask the security officer and he'd help me out. After a few hours I was getting hungry, cold and wanted the lights off to sleep. I knocked on the door, and despite knocking for a while and being able to see the security guy eye to eye outside, he would not answer. This lasted for nearly two hours before I started to freak out, after my freak out a nurse rushed to the door seeing me exhausted after a fit. I told her what had happened only to be told "what do you expect me to do? I can't be everywhere at once". After I got blankets and food, I finally went to sleep. It was nearly 12 hours later, and I was moved into the hallway on a bed. I kept asking nurses when the psychiatrist would be around, and if I was getting admitted. The nurses couldn't get me a timelike, but they kept assuring me that I wouldn't get admitted. They eventually asked me what medications I was on so they could provide them to me, I told them the three meds I was on. A nurse came back to me to ask what they were for, I told her they're my hormones, and it's because I'm trans. The nurse told me "I know what they're for, this one is a blood thinner and because your blood pressure is higher I'm not giving you any of them" and would not budge after I insisted that they're also an anti androgen. I was there for another 24 hours, when a nurse had told me that I was going to be admitted. I was beginning to freak out, I told her that I would rather die than be admitted and I started breaking down, she told me not to be dramatic and that I'd be fine. She ended up calling security over and they started being disparaging me, he kept calling me a baby. When I yelled at him to shut up and that I wasn't going, I started hitting myself and he tackled me onto the bed and they started tying me down, the security officer kept yelling at me "stop being a fucking baby and calm the fuck down". The restraints were too tight and I could see my hand going purple, he refused to loosen my one hand. I was moved behind a curtain afterwards. One nurse in the area overheard and was sympathetic, he asked if I need anything and I told him about my hand and how everyone lied to me. He offered sympathies and he made me promise I wouldn't do anything if he loosened the hand. He loosened the hand, untied my feet and he eventually untied me after an hour. He was the only person in the hospital who actually listened. In the ward, I was given my meds finally, but wasn't allowed to shave or go to the women's showers (strange because they're private stalls). After a day or so, I was finally allowed to shave under supervision. They put me in a handicap bathroom with a nurse who was standing in the entryway facing away from me, I shaved and asked if I could shave my chest since I'm feeling awful. She replied "ew why would I want to see that?“. After a few days of no showering, my mom came back from her vacation and threatened the hospital with a lawsuit if I wasn't allowed to shower and shave freely. After that, the nurses became condescending nice to me. They kept telling me I had beautiful hair, but that it was a shame that I couldn't brush it (I didn't have a brush and they didn't provide me with one). They also kept telling me to watch religious inspirational videos to feel better. _ These are fairly old. But Access was recent. I've been trying to work with Access 24/7 since 2020. All the therapists there are overworked and are churned in and out. I was lost between the cracks twice before seeing someone who took around 6 months to see someone. When the appointment came time in 2022, they lost me in the system again, but because I came in person, they'd have me see a psychologist they think they made an appointment with. Except, it wasn't even that psych, it was a different guy, because the guy they meant to set me up with was quitting. The guy I talked to was nice, but when I brought up trans stuff, he instantly shut down and tried referring me to different overrun services that don't offer therapy. I eventually got matched up with a great psych I saw for about a year, until she left (or I got taken off her care?) and then I was back to seeing someone different in about 2 months time. Only for me to learn that that person I was about to see actually quit when I was called for the appointment. I then said that I'm not going back to Access 24/7. _ All in all I don't have much hope in our mental health supports. The staff are woefully unequipped, overworked and jaded. At worse they can be outright malicious and power tripping. I also think a lot of folks in the wards aren't necessarily there solely out of mental illness, but because of material conditions and desperation. It'd be people who attempt suicide because their depression got really bad due to a damaging living situation or terrible financial woes. My first stint was because I was on the brink of homelessness, and my second one was due to isolation and financial issues. A big problem with psych wards was that they'd ask you what you'd do after, with little to no support and a number to access. It's not good enough.

I worked at Alberta Hospital, not my stories, but I know of other's stories from staff. Change must happen.

I am so incredibly sorry to hear this. Mental health does not receive the appropriate resources and it never has. I wish you luck and hope you are successful

I mean, Alberta cant complain about ahs when they voted for this

AHD didn't kill your brother. Stop blaming everyone else for something your brother did to himself. I say this as a suicide survivor. Could the system be better? Of course. But at the end of the day the only person I blame for my loved one's suicide is my loved one.