Families of mentally ill need help, too, say advocates

Support groups make plea for financial support

Support groups for those who take care of a mentally ill family member are urging Health Minister Gaétan Barrette to boost financial support to their organizations to meet the rising demand for their services.

Although the Quebec health network provides psychological services to those afflicted with mental illness, there is no formal support system for families. That’s where non-profit community organizations step into the breach, but government subsidies haven’t kept pace with the growing needs, says the director-general of a coalition of support groups.

“The demand for our services is enormous,” said René Cloutier of the Réseau avant de craquer, which represents 39 community organizations across the province.

The Réseau reported a 22 per cent increase in the number of requests by family members in need of counselling and respite services since last year. Cloutier attributed the increase, in part, to the fact that clinical teams in hospitals are referring more and more family members to community organizations.

Research has shown that one in five people will suffer from a mental illness during their lifetime. And it’s not just the individual with a mental illness who is affected — in eight out of 10 cases, family members and friends are tormented, too.

Cloutier noted family members who support someone with a mental illness are three times more likely than the general population to be burdened with psychological distress. If those family members — be they a parent, child or sibling — don’t receive counselling by a psychologist or a social worker, they, too, can end up suffering from a prolonged mental illness.

Michel, whose son tried to commit suicide several times, said his family benefited greatly after attending the meetings of a support group in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

“We learned very quickly that although the hospital was able to take care of our son, we realized that our family also needed help,” said the father, who declined to have his last name published to maintain his privacy.

“At the time, we had gone to see a psychologist, but it’s not the same thing. What helped us was meeting other parents who had lived through the same situation. We saw parents who were able to laugh and then cry the next minute. This gave us hope.”

In the fall of 2015, Barrette launched a five-year plan to improve mental-health services. The plan recognized the importance of community organizations in assisting family members, but Cloutier said the government hasn’t followed through with the necessary funds.

The community organizations employ 125 social workers, psychologists and educators, and Cloutier estimated that their annual budgets must be doubled to a total of $14 million.

“We have been underfunded,” he said.

In an interview with the Montreal Gazette, Barrette acknowledged the value of the community organizations, but was non-committal about boosting their funding.

“This is a situation that we are already addressing,” he said. “We met with (the Réseau avant de craquer). It’s being analyzed.

“As for the bigger picture, we’ve done a lot in this mandate,” the minister added. “When we speak with all the local grassroots organizations, they all say we’ve done more than any government in mental health ... Is it enough? It’s never enough, obviously. There’s always more to be done. But clearly we’re going in the right direction.”