Bark-out-Loud!!! What a Joke BC Liberals Are!!!

BC'S Minister Of Health asked Health authorities to cut 10 % at gross. That is 45 million and where is this trimming to go? Well Minister answered" Other Ministries to prevention of health issues !!!"- But wait Liberals gave increase of 7%…….BUT where did the missing 3% go?? Yes cut -10% , give+ 7% = NO CUTS? Great accounting even grade 1 students can do better. ON the upside for Kevin Falcon, he can enjoy a glass of fine BC wine cheaper!!! HST will make booze cheaper, that is what Kevin call's prevention for Mental Health Addictions. What a joke! This is the Liberal 10 year Health Plan!!

My family racked up expenses from hospital visit and doctor appointments $ 10,000.00 in one year. Times the three years she was unstable and in and out of hospitals. This year our daughter was too sick for employment, but not sick enough to do nothing, her only motivator was interior decorating. There is no grants available for a person with mental illness for schooling. Another $10,000.00 in education and expenses, as the college couldn’t pro-rate the cost of course. Keep in mind this course was an outreach program for her social skills development. Did I get to collect any money on income tax for medical expenses?

I quit my job twice to be 24/7 nurse and support for my daughter, and unemployment has no benefits for this hardship. My husband lost contracts because he couldn’t work weekends. We made these choices for our daughter and focused weekends to her care, so our personal income was too low for deductions. Then CRA tells me to apply for a disability credit because we quality. Three times the Doctor filled out paper work wasn’t enough information for them, so denied. So yes I have made my contribution!

So Honourable Kevin Falcon, when stated “Whatever level of investment being made, the important element here is that individuals can make a difference. Individuals can make a contribution towards a sustainable health care system. I would hope that the public, any of the public that may be watching, will consider that as we go forward”

I was appalled! Kevin Falcon, you definitely didn’t do any research in the cost of a mentally ill child, nor did you investigate into the lack of programming and funds. You didn’t inform yourself as Minister of Health, or even take a personal interest into BC taxpayers, living with a mental illness within their families. May I suggest some reading for the BC Liberal Government, as you haven't read my letters or you would have been informed.

Below article written By Dr Stan Kutcher. Stan is associated with the Canadian Mental Health Commission. http://blog.teenmentalhealth.org/2010/05/21/early-onset-of-mental-disorder-hurts-–-in-your-wallet/

Mutt Wants To Take a Bite Out of Government Cruelty

I wrote the BC Minister of Housing, Mr Rich Coleman, in April 19 2010. To complain about the policies implemented to maintain social obedience in the housing projects.

Social behaviour, non compliance and criminal activity. While I agree with minister that no one should have to live with these issues. But many families live with it everyday. Turning a blind eye to the problem doesn’t fix it, and policies only add burden of discrimination to the chronic mentally ill people of our society.

There is two reasons why the chronic mentally ill have social behaviour issue. Negative symptoms, are behavioural issues: mood swings, anti-sociable,odd behaviour, hygiene, and dress, mumbling to themselves, even yelling, then lastly aggressive reactions. Medication even taken regularly can’t remove some of these symptoms. Medication, proper sleep, food and adequate housing all used in combination with doctor and clinician’s supervision will dramatically reduce these negative symptoms along with time. Think of a person with cancer, they need surgery, medication, chemo therapy, radiation and proper personal care, but even with all this some cases take years of treatment. This same treatment is needed with chronic mentally ill or major psychosis.

Negative symptoms create a spiral effect lets just use one example, person with anxiety. Anxiety causes a person to have an overactive mind, that is very noisy and impossible to shut off. So you had a stressful day, go to bed and can’t sleep, so tomorrow your day is foggy and you have a hard time processing things. But what if in your foggy mind you forget to take your pills, which help you clam down, moods and help you sleep, so now for two nights you haven’t got any sleep. Can you see the downward spiral, never ending spin until you crash.

Now imagine if a sever chronic mental illness in this downward spin. No it isn’t pretty and it takes months to correct with supervision, now add that person is aggressive and non-compliant. There are no laws regarding this non-complaint. Then this person is label aggressive, violent or maybe even charged with assault. Who’s fault is this? The mentally ill? As a family member I know how hard it is to seek medical treatment, or hospitalization for this deterioration.

A family in Kamloops, had their son placed in foster care at a young age because of mental illness related problems. This boy remained in care until 19, then found himself homeless. His parents agreed he could stay until they found a place for him. Now what this poor family didn’t know was his past violent behavior would disqualify him for any social housing. During the process of finding housing for their mentally ill son, Children’s Ministry came in and removed 3 younger children from house.

Government’s double standard, you are unsafe to younger children in home, but won’t hospitalize you? You are dangerous for my workers so I have to place policies to protect them, but we won’t place you in care?

Government can see the Mental Health Law not working , or why else the need for these policies and action. Government’s passiveness to correct a flawed Mental Health Act Law, that is largely outdated, and not pro-active, is a very cruel unjust way of treating stuffing families with mentally illness.

Canadian Mutt Fights For Cubs Mental Health

The BC government has now committed crimes against children. It is inhumane to place children and adults mental wards because the governments have closed children beds in psychiatric wards. There is only 16 beds for children mental health in the interior/Thompson of BC and the Fraser Valley. Now the BC government has closed half off those beds.

At 16 my daughter suffered a major psychotic break. There wasn’t a bed available for her and a children psychiatric ward. She was committed by the BC government under the mental health act and placed in adult ward while we waited for an available bed. During this month wait, she escaped three times. During one of these escapes she was wandering around in a pair of pajamas totally incoherent and unable to perceive the world around her. I’m thankful that she was not abducted and raped– as she excepted a ride from a total stranger in a white car with a blue shirt. When questioned she believed the stranger in a white car and a blue shirt was a police officer. I called the hospital to let know my daughter was at home. I told the hospital that I would be keeping her at home until a bed became available for her in a children unit. The hospital’s reply was, ” you can’t do that she is a ward of the government now!!”.

The government claims that the mental health act adequately protects the mentally ill. If the mentally ill is an endangerment to themselves and others they can be committed. Now considering this, isn’t a person an endangerment to themselves when they live on the streets in freezing temperatures without adequate housing? But yet the government now claims we need Bill 18. Maybe we need Bill 18 because the mental act is not adequate and does not address their needs a mentally ill. Here is another crime against children one third of all homeless people are youth.

Lastly, the leading activist for the mental health, Michael Kirby, calls children mental health, The Forgotten Orphaned Child of mental health. Children mental health is the least funded, the most neglected of all the mental health areas. I feel that Canada should be charged for inhumane, unjust, and neglected care for the mentally ill children of the country. If you are outraged and appalled as much as I am please contact your local MLA , and voice your support for the mentally ill children of our country.