Asleep somewhere in the depths of the turmoil, there is hope. A little flame that never goes out, even if in the most robust storms it is reduced to a tiny brand. Even though we can’t see him anymore, even if he’s buried too deep for us to even know he’s there, this little brand is fighting against the inner storm to stay alive.
But it would be wrong to believe that a simple little breath in its direction will be enough to rekindle it once and for all. In order for the flame of hope to resume its dance, it will have to be given care and sustained attention for some time. Work with the elements of the storm, calm them, keep them away from the small flame so that it shines safely. It is not the work of a single day. Nor of a single meeting.
It is the work of a sustained treatment which is interested in the bio-psycho-social angles of mental health disorders.
Who will see with the patient what are the precipitating factors, the triggers that caused the pain, the distress. The pandemic is crammed with precipitating factors: financial uncertainty, anxiety, never knowing which foot to dance on, isolation, loneliness, loss of social contacts, of our lifestyle, teleworking, and among our adolescents, the feeling of seeing our youth. slip under the fingers, among others. In addition to the pandemic, mourning, a break-up, a job loss, a feeling of failure in the face of a project are just as many precipitating factors. Each of us reacts differently to these situations. This is where the predisposing factors and the protective factors come into play.
Predisposing factors can be made up of thought patterns and cognitive distortions that act like slippery lands or quicksand, and which have been woven during childhood, adolescence, through life events and beats. hard. It can be the fact of having a precarious living situation, of having already known depression, anxiety, or on the contrary of never having known depression or anxiety and of coming face to face with psychic pain for the first time without really being able to put words into it. It can be a family environment or an unstable living environment, present or past, family antecedents, traumas experienced in the past which awaken under the influence of circumstances. And certain predisposing factors also derive part of their roots from genetics, brain physiology, epigenetics, neuroplasticity …
Protective factors play a large role in the direction of the development of psychological distress and mental health disorder.
Personal support, access to resources, follow-up, appropriate treatment for the necessary duration, modification of the living environment, understanding of what we are going through internally, validation of what we are experiencing , the development of emotional regulation and self-management tools, an open community without prejudices are among these factors. And by betting on these, both in childhood and adulthood, the risks are reduced and promise a better life, a life where psychological pain, when it shows up at the door, does not is more of a condemnation, but rather a wake-up call that it is time to put a plan of action in place.
However, a simple visit to the emergency room, a single session with a psychologist or two meetings with a family doctor are not enough to eliminate the specter of psychological distress in an individual. Particularly not if this is the visible tip of a serious mental health disorder like major depression or bipolar disorder, for example. Nor if this distress holds between its nets co-morbidities such as severe anxiety or a substance use disorder.
What to do when we no longer recognize each other?
The complexity of the disease is very real and is multidimensional. The treatment must be adapted to these dimensions and must follow the fluctuations of the disease. We often hear people say: “If things don’t go well, don’t hesitate to get help. But where can this help be found, if there are no resources available for months to come, and if the individual who suffers does not know what resource he needs? When you break an arm, you know what to do. When you have pneumonia, you know where to go. But when we no longer recognize each other? When we don’t understand each other anymore and we don’t have the words to explain what we feel because we have never been taught them? When we are afraid to talk about it because of the centuries of stigmatization that precede us? When we have no one to accompany us? When we isolate ourselves more and more because of the symptoms of the disease? When we lose touch with reality? When our anhedonia is so strong that even what once was our greatest pleasure no longer makes us hot or cold? When our loss of motivation (a symptom of depression) doesn’t even allow us to get out of bed? When our cognitive functions are so affected that we can barely read three sentences? When the flame of hope is so close to being extinguished that you think it’s not even worth trying to find help? Because we know that finding immediate help and then having sustained follow-up is one of the greatest challenges of our era.
Mr. Legault, the situation is more than urgent. We must, by all means, make psychological help accessible in the short, medium and long terms. And simplify access. People who suffer no longer know where or what to turn to, their families suffer, their professional life too, and the collateral damage is enormous. As much for them as for the health of your society and for that of your economy (I don’t like to speak in these terms, it is the human being that takes precedence, but apparently, it is the economy which has the upper hand. the decisions…).
Life is precious. That’s all we got. Finding yourself on the edge of the abyss is never a choice. It is not to stop living that we want to leave, it is to stop suffering. It is sickness that cries out, relegating the mind to the supporting role. No one is his disease.