According to Mental Health Commission of Canada 1 in 5 People in Canada experiences mental health problem or illness. 70 percent of youth who are dealing with mental health reported that their symptoms began during childhood years. An alarming statistics! Wait times still exist in the mental health industry and the increase of need is ever growing. So how does traditional mental health deliveries overcome such demand? It’s simple. We need to adapt to change.

Many initiatives are being developed every single day in order to better mental health services, but reality is many are not ready to adapt to drastic changes. We are immuned to our old ways. One way to ride the wave is to implement and place into action through simple changes. For example, being able to provide free clinics in order to determine urgency versus ongoing assistance. When a person who is struggling with their own mental health, the wealth of information and services become overwhelming, therefore they are unsure what to do. Simplifying the “how to ” can keep our traditional mental health deliveries alive. Breaking down barriers, bringing up new initiatives is a step to the right direction, but action is what will alter and save a life.

Mental Health Delivery is in crisis and so are many who are struggling with their own mental health – but we can save the omission of traditional delivery by knowing we all want TO BE HEARD and UNDERSTOOD. We cannot bandaid mental health by providing a quick fix to how we deliver services. Take the time to hear someone’s story because it can alter or save someone or even themselves.