Mental-health services lacking

Recently my father passed away, and I’ve been struggling much harder than I’d expected to. In part, this is because loss is always hard and death always punches below the belt, but additionally this loss has appeared to be a large crack in a dam. Today, the masonry of my mind threatens to crumble and I am forced to seek help as many of us are at one time or another.

No matter the robust or fragile nature of one’s personal-support networks composed of family, friends and colleagues, it is inevitable that finding a hired ear to talk to becomes a real need for many in our province, yet this is a resource that is stretched thin and flatly unavailable to most.

Though I am no advocate of our public medical system, I am discouraged, saddened and even angered by the lack of mental-health resources available to people like myself within it today. I can’t imagine how terrible it must be for those of limited means, often citizens who need the help most.

My own experience in this case compels me to register my upset. Mental-health problems are debilitating problems that can easily become life altering and yet we devote virtually no public resources to this as we might to repairing broken bones or combating pernicious diseases of the flesh.

It is a severe failure on the part of our system when it is unable to even provide a core health service to ratepayers.

Ethan Erkiletian, Saskatoon