I sincerely hope that Health Minister Kevin Falcon was lying through his teeth in his recent response to questions about cuts to mental health and addiction services.

If he actually believes what he was saying reflects the state of mental health and/or addiction services in BC … … there are a lot of British Columbians in need of those services who are *bleeped*, myself included.

The heat this summer had a serious negative effect on my mental state, leaving me struggling to return to the state of Wellness I had attained. Unfortunately there is a 10 month waiting period to get to see a psychiatrist; after you spend 11/2 – 2 months working through the backlog at mental health services to get referred to see a psychiatrist.

I have a Wellness Plan, tools and have built a strong support system and so I have a reasonable chance of not falling into a downward spiral during what could be a year long wait for services … with luck.

What would it mean to you or someone you know who, facing a mental health crisis, seeks help and faces a year long wait to start to get the services you/they need? What level of worsening does this delay cause in someone’s mental state and what does this do to that individual?

I was not the only person the heat this summer caused mental challenges for. I have heard from numerous others who, finding their mental state causing them problems went to the hospital to get help in order not to relapse and were turned away. Our local hospital’s mental services are insufficient to meet the normal day-to-day demands for its services; the increase in demand caused by the weather overwhelmed these inadequate services.

I could go on for pages on the service cuts (or as the Health Minister calls it ‘reorganized delivery’), the services that are simply not provided or how overwhelmed the services and programs provided are.

Fraser Health is the fastest growing health region in terms of population growth and thus demand for services. Exacerbating matters is the fact that for those on the limited support provided for people disabled by mental health issues, rent costs are forcing patients out of Costal Health into Fraser Health in search of more affordable, or at least less unaffordable, housing.

The budget for mental health in our region has not reflected the increase in demand. This year’s budget is the same as last year. While on a strictly definitional basis this is not a budget cut, in the real world that those of us who are not politicians inhabit holding a budget at the same level is a budget cut.

In a sensible move addiction services were moved into mental health. I say sensible because the growing knowledge base on addiction and addiction recovery has shown this to be more of a mental health problem that a strictly simpler problem of ‘addiction’

While significantly (doubling? tripling?) increasing the responsibilities of mental health, there was no funding provided to pay for addiction services.

It needs to be noted that Minister Rich Coleman’s ministry plays a role in increasing the problems for those dealing with mental health and addiction challenges. The unrealistic levels of Income Assistance and the lack of safe, healthy affordable housing significantly increases the barriers to recovery for those with mental or addiction issues.

Dealing with housing, budgeting or income assistance is a major stressor for people whether challenged by mental issues or not.

If you need mental health services you are well aware of the limited services currently available, the limited numbers and access to those services, the gaping holes in services and the problem of the time it takes to get access to services.

The lack of services and capacity is denying access to Recovery to British Columbians. It is costing the taxpayers of BC more tax dollars to deal with the consequences of people denied mental health care than it would to provide the needed care.

Sadly, twistedly, the mental health system itself, due to a lack of funding, proper management and leadership has become a mental health issue.

Which is why, although I am not a fan of the propensity of politicians to lie, I am praying Kevin Falcon was lying through his teeth in his statements on the state of mental health services in BC. The alternative, he believes what he said, is disastrous for anyone with mental health or addiction issues in their lives.