For many, media attention regarding depression and suicide comes as an unusual experience, highlighting the fact that social stigmas against mental illness prevail and treatment programs still have a long way to go.
I have spent more years than I care to mention at Carleton actively working to promote a dialogue between students requiring assistance, and the mental health services on campus. But things changed when I found myself seeking help from the pressures of grad school and multiple family crises.
This past winter, I found myself knocking at the door of Health and Counselling Services on campus, and with my background at SAMH, I entered with enthusiasm.
During my first appointment with a counselling staff member, I was told they couldn’t help me since they were better equipped handling time-management and workload issues. I was advised not to come back and without insurance to go elsewhere. I decided to tough out my year.
I managed to complete my first year but had deteriorated to the point of missing work. I returned to Health and Counselling Services to try my luck again. The doctor on duty seemed surprised at my previous treatment, and informed me I would be linked with a counsellor within two weeks.
Little over a month later, I received a message that a counsellor had been found, but by that point I had begun off-campus sessions, made possible by money originally set aside for tuition.
With my background in pscyhology, the decision for me was easy. Find help, seek support from friends and family, and don’t lose hope.
But the decision to seek help can seem both impossible and terrifying. Reaching out to others often requires a monumental amount of courage, as social stigma, denial, and unhealthy coping mechanisms can drive hope away.
I am not trying to defame Health and Counselling Services, nor am I attempting to slander its staff. I remain strong in my opinion that like other mental health services, they are both qualified and devoted to helping those in need, and work as hard as possible to provide assistance, given the often limited circumstances.
Health and Counselling Services is the primary mental health body on campus and is frequently overbooked and understaffed.
In recognition of this, in a 2014 student referendum a majority of students voted in favour of adding two additional permanent counselling positions in order to better serve students.
The organization also notes in its mental health framework that “the services provided by Health and Counselling Services psychiatrists, physicians and counsellors are primarily oriented towards emergency assessments, general support and guidance.
Waiting times for non-emergency situations can be long and will vary as a result of changing demand throughout the year.”
A further reallocation of funds with a greater focus on mental health services would allow Health and Counselling Services to continue hiring more staff to accommodate the growing student population without increasing wait times.
Revisions to Health and Counselling Services’ mandate on helping those with mental health issues—as opposed to work-related issues—and clearer advertising of services would also give students more accurate and informed expectations of the services they are enlisting.
With an increased funding for mental health treatment programs, people who need help will have greater and more appropriate access to the assistance they deserve.
