CALGARY – Nineteen-year-old Kyra Wise admits talking about her mental health issues isn’t easy. The former Mount Royal University student suffers from anxiety so severe, it’s put much of her life on hold.
“Anything can seem just super overwhelming and I can’t really do anything about it, or breathe that well or do anything,” she said. “I just sort of curl up and sleep to avoid everything.”
Last May, Wise began seeing a therapist as part of an outpatient program at the Rockyview General Hospital. She believes she was making progress, working towards a goal of returning to school this fall. But that’s all up in the air since Wise learned Monday the program is coming to an end.
Kyra’s mom says it’s been hard to see her daughter so upset.
“She’s trying to help herself, she’s trying to fix this, and now they’re taking this away from her,” Leanne Paterson said, wiping away tears.
According to Alberta Health Services, the program–which served 60 patients with another 17 on a waiting list–was inefficient. Patients like Wise will be re-assessed by the end of March and placed on waiting lists for other programs.
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) says it’s available to help anyone who feels like they’re slipping through the cracks.
“People do get lost through those points of transition and so we have a job to do, as well to work with Alberta Health Services, other non-profits, homeless providers, poverty charities to make sure that people don’t get lost when they move from one program to the next one,” said Callum Ross, advocacy and policy development lead for CMHA in Calgary.
Ross says there are also options outside of AHS. For example, the CMHA offers advocacy and other support programs and the Calgary Counselling Centre offers counseling services billed on a sliding scale.
According to the CMHA, one in five Canadians will experience mental illness during their lifetime; one in 10 will suffer from anxiety; one in 100 will suffer with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, and nearly one quarter of all deaths of those aged 15 to 24 will be the result of suicide.
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