For two years, we have never talked so much about mental health and have never taken so much measure of the fragility of our balances.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
Psychological distress has taken hold in the population, making us aware of the centrality and importance of good mental health. The causes behind this increase in distress: the experience of the pandemic and isolation, but also the rising cost of living, all against the backdrop of an unprecedented ecological crisis.
This is why the theme for World Mental Health Day 2022, Make mental health and well-being for all a global priorityis of particular interest to us.
Making the right to good mental health accessible to everyone is a powerful call to get out of an individualization of the difficulties experienced in mental health in order to take a broader look at the living conditions in which we live.
As things stand, there is no equal opportunity in mental health.
Our inner balances are not on the same starting line: poor housing, poverty, neglect, overwork, isolation, stress and precariousness are all conditions that will undermine our mental health. Not to mention poor working conditions, harassment, domestic or family violence…
But in addition to our living conditions, there are also inequalities in access to mental health support. If the wealthiest can quickly access quality therapeutic support, the poorest often have to fall back on medication. The latter will live, if their situation deteriorates, the round of hospitalizations and ordinary medical violence. Access to mental health support, claimed by several social groups, is nevertheless an investment that would save money in other wallets, by avoiding the consequences of so much suffering left to fend for itself!
However, beyond public mental health services, in the blind spot of public attention, there are hundreds of community groups that work to support and accompany people in their journey to well-being. Among these groups, alternative mental health resources are mobilizing to offer diversified practices: self-help groups, support in the community, art therapy, psychotherapy, socio-professional integration, promotion-vigilance of rights, accommodation and housing, etc. places and connections that make a difference, the theme of Alternative Mental Health Day this year, remind us that beyond public services, this diversity of approaches to mental health strongly contributes to well-being Population.
By adopting an alternative approach that takes into account the whole person, these community groups allow people to find balance, to regain power, to have access to rich and adapted information and to reconnect with the thread of their lives. By focusing on citizen involvement and the primacy of the person, these groups change thousands of life trajectories every year!
The action of alternative mental health resources is essential to protect and guarantee the fundamental right to enjoy the best possible mental health.
Despite this, these groups are underfunded, and this chronic underfunding undermines their ability to retain the expertise of their employees.
Mental health is an essential human dimension. In our view, it is essential that the CAQ commit quickly, during this second mandate, to further support these community groups which are currently struggling to carry out their missions, for lack of means. The other urgency, of course, is to act to improve the living conditions of the population, and this, in a sustainable way. Do we want to keep adding names to the waitlists indefinitely?
Betting on solidarity and equality is the only sustainable way to deal with the crisis.