Letter to the State: Thursday, April 4, 2024

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My family has been involved with the mental health system for about 11 years because of my son’s schizophrenia. We have learned a lot about what it takes to provide quality of life for people living with severe mental illness.

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We understand that when parts of Riverview Hospital closed, the government gradually switched to home and community care. Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams were formed during this time to meet people where they are and provide care, whether at home or on their own.

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The BC Psychiatric Program at UBC Hospitals has 25 beds across the province. They specialize in treating mental illnesses. My son spent a few months at BC Psychosis, but then they brought his son back. He was referred to the ACT team and released. A few years later, my son started using drugs and the ACT team became a big part of our lives for a while.

Recently, my son became addicted to cocaine. When he asked his ACT team for help with his addiction, he was told there was a 10-month waiting period for treatment. During this time, his condition worsened and he died by suicide on February 16th of this year.

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We were a typical family with a good understanding of how treatment works in this area. Because my son received strong support from his family throughout this time, and his ACT team was there when he needed it. He received home visits from a psychiatrist, a mental health worker, and finally an addiction specialist.

If you have both serious mental illness and addiction, we know that the only place to take you is Redfish Healing Center for Mental Health and Addiction in Coquitlam. It became clear. He could have gone on his own, but the waiting time cost him his life. We also understand that the only way an involuntary admission will be made is if it poses a danger to others. Suicidal thoughts are dangerous, but only to oneself, so he didn’t qualify.

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The change I would like to see is that people be able to access these services in a shorter amount of time. It will help so many people on the street who may not realize that there is an outlet to enjoy things, a way to improve their quality of life. And maybe we can go back to music or work or volunteering or just hanging out in a healthy way instead of all the violence and crime that I believe comes from untreated mental illness. How can I receive treatment if I am told that I have to wait that long?

Contact your local MLA office to report that you are feeling unwell. Write letters or make phone calls to people in power. Things need to change for the better. My story is so common that I believe it happens to loved ones every day. We miss our son every day. This unnecessary heartbreak must stop now.

Sue Puzder sydney

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