Thread by @MrsMarambio

A thread.

I want to commend @MacLeodLisa for talking about her mental health. Opening up about the most vulnerable moments in life is incredibly difficult.

*You still here? Please keep reading.* /1

As a woman diagnosed w/ PTSD in 2015 after a significant medical trauma & near-death, I can relate to many of the symptoms & experiences Lisa described in her CTV interview yesterday. Trauma therapy saved my life. I am happy to talk mental health anytime, anywhere with anyone. /2

Lisa, now imagine that when you went to The Royal, instead of saying “we can help you” they said “there is a wait list. It is 18-24 months long. You will have to wait for help. /3

In the meantime, The Royal or a community partner can offer family training for your husband and daughter who can take the lead in helping you manage the big emotions you are feeling related to your anxiety and depression. /4

I know it’s not the best clinical plan for you and you should be treated by trained medical professionals but that’s the system in place and the best we can do. It’s urgent and you feel like you are in crisis? You are self harming? I am so sorry, there is nothing we can do. /5

Don’t call us, we’ll call you. Feel free to check in to see where you are on the wait list as needed. I can’t give you detailed info but that’s how it works.”

*I hope you are still here. This is info every Ontarian needs to read about & truly understand. Please keep reading* /6

From there you go home, and you wait for help. While on the wait list you will experience insomnia, heightened anxiety, racing thoughts, nervousness, a hard time communicating your feelings, and have a hard time managing your emotions. /7

You become impatient and have occasional outbursts with family, friends and coworkers because you are having a hard time self regulating. Some days you may not want to get out of bed. Your nerves and anxiety are a barrier to participating in day-to-day life. /8

You call to check in with The Royal & where you are on their wait list. You tell them you are REALLY struggling. You ask for help as soon as possible. It is urgent. /9

They tell you “I know, it must be so hard but there is nothing we can do. Did your husband and daughter take the workshops we recommended? Did it help? Oh, it hasn’t & you need on-on-one help? You have to wait.” /10

2 years go by. You are drowning. Barely keeping your head above water. You isolate yourself. Your mental health is getting worse. The Royal calls & says “your name will be at the top of the list shortly.” You feel relief to know the help you so desperately need is near. /11

Then things change. Based on a changing of the guards & big policy changes The Royal has decided that they must make major changes to their patient healthcare & supports. You now must wait another year or more. Actually, they tell you they don’t know how long the wait will be/12

Oh, and you won’t get to see a doctor anymore. The clinic receptionist will assess what you will need before we consider what your individual clinical needs and treatment plan are. The receptionist will decide how much healthcare you will have access to. /13

Looking at your file we recommend an intensive weekly session with a highly trained medical professional but as of today we can only partially treat you. You might get one session every 2-3 months and instead of an hour we can give you 15 minutes. It is the best we can do. /14

If this doesn’t work for you call your MPP & I have a 1-800 number for you to call for info. If they don’t answer keep trying. There will be a lot of forms to fill out. We used to have someone to help you navigate things but they don’t work here anymore, so good luck. /14

I know you might not be able to get out of bed let alone ask for help or guidance, but please keep calling us to follow up to ask for help. Again. You may have to ask for help a few hundred times but maybe you’ll get lucky. Have a great day. /15

This is the experience of hundreds of thousands of families in Ontario, including families in the autism community. Help is not as simple as walking into a building and saying “I need help”. We are fighting daily against a system that excludes us at every turn. /16

WE ARE SCREAMING FOR HELP and we are not being heard. You are part of a government that is in a position of power to remove the barriers to equitable accessible care, support & services in education, healthcare, mental healthcare and community services across Ontario. /17

Ontarians w/ disabilities & autism are Ontarians and we have asked for help. Begged for help. Hundreds if not thousands of times. No one is listening or taking action and your government has put more systemic barriers in front of us when we ask for help. Never forget that. / fin.