(Montreal) The housing crisis has become the main cause of stress among people in psychiatry, according to Quebec organizations which are imploring Quebec to intervene.
“We recently learned through the head of a psychiatry department of a Montreal hospital that housing is the main mental health stressor for all people who use psychiatric services,” says the co-coordinator at the Regroupement housing committees and tenant associations of Quebec (RCLALQ), Martin Blanchard, at a press conference on Sunday.
The housing crisis is creating “pressure on the mental health” of tenants, says Mr. Blanchard. “Imagine someone comes to your house, then says ‘you’re leaving home.’ If we refuse, he will make untimely repairs, he will be intimidated and harassed. It becomes unbearable. »
Alternative mental health resources note an increase in stress, anxiety, distress, insomnia, suicidal thoughts and depressive thoughts, says Anne-Marie Boucher, co-coordinator of the alternative health resources group. mental health of Quebec. “There are many people who live in fear of losing their housing. »
She fears that we are starting to medicalize the housing crisis.
That is to say that we take care of distress through psychiatry, through emergency services, which is caused by living conditions which are the result of political inaction for decades.
Anne-Marie Boucher, co-coordinator of the group of alternative mental health resources in Quebec
“This stress weighs heavily on me”
Hidden homelessness, shared accommodation, unsanitary housing: the president of the board of directors of the Center de Soir Denise-Massé, Denis Plante, also sees the impacts of this housing crisis on a daily basis. “These people will often have to tolerate unacceptable situations because they cannot move due to lack of means,” he says.
We have many people who are forced to sacrifice their living conditions to ensure they have a roof over their heads, often to the detriment of their physical and mental health.
Denis Plante, president of the board of directors of the Center de Soir Denise-Massé
Mr. Plante regularly sees people who are forced to choose between paying their rent, eating or paying for their medication.
This is the case of Peter Belland of the group of alternative mental health resources in Quebec. He uses food banks every month, since his rent represents nearly 80% of his income. “This stress weighs heavily on me,” says the man who already suffers from depression.