Montreal-area teenager on one-year waiting list for help after suicide scare

MONTREAL – A mother living in the Lower Laurentians is on a desperate search for mental health services for her teenage daughter.

The 14 year old was rushed to hospital in January after a suicide scare. But, three months later, she’s still on the waiting list to see a psychiatrist.

Carolynn Roberts has tried everything to get her daughter the help she needs, but she can’t understand why it’s taking so long.

In January, Megara Barnes told her mother she didn’t want to continue living and was prepared to overdose on medication to end her life.

A quick call was made to Megara’s pediatrician and he advised her to take immediate action.

“Her pediatrician said ‘you can go the nice polite way or you can go the aggressive way . . . go to the Children’s’ – which we did.”

Roberts was so desperate she drove more than an hour to take her daughter to the emergency room at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

However, in the emergency room of one of Montreal’s two children’s hospitals, Roberts got quite the shock.

“When we went to the ER she was covered in cuts. I hadn’t realized how bad she had cut herself.”

Despite the self-mutilation and suicidal thoughts, the hospital released Megara about five hours later. Her mother was told her local health and social services centre would get in touch to book a psychiatric evaluation.

But weeks later, when the file finally made its way to them, the family was told Megara would have to wait one year before she could see a psychiatrist.

The health and social services centre in Argenteuil confirmed the 14-year-old isn’t a priority.

Quebec’s Health Minister Réjean Hébert told Global News he was surprised it takes a year to see a psychiatrist in that area.

Meanwhile, Megara’s condition is deteriorating, despite private therapy and her mothers efforts.

According to experts, teens who self-mutilate are typically impulsive and must be taken seriously.

Melissa Lutchman with Suicide Action Montreal told Global News “it’s true that in people who are diagnosed with self-mutilation – in other words called borderline personally disorder – there is a higher risk of success with suicide.”

Megara is also eager to get answers. “I just kind of want to know why I’m always anxious.”

Her mother worries what will happen if her daughter doesn’t get the help she needs in time.

“Every time you hear a story in the news you say ‘Where were the parents? What were they doing?’ When you’re trying to do something I can imagine all these parents who were trying to find services and to find out what’s going on.”