This is part two of a special series on Mental Health in Greater Victoria. Find the entire series online at . You can also find Black Press MediaB次元官网网址檚 Mental Health Resource Guide online at .
Youth can have a hard time opening up to adults. But when they do, what happens when that chosen adult isnB次元官网网址檛 prepared for the conversation?
ItB次元官网网址檚 a situation Dave Saunders has found himself in a number of times.
Saunders, a former Western Hockey League player, started coaching lacrosse when he was 19. When his daughters were getting into sports around the age of five, he started coaching everything from hockey to softball and has 16 years of experience under his belt.
B次元官网网址淲hen I first started youB次元官网网址檇 get nothing,B次元官网网址� Saunders explained, adding whoever put up their hand to coach was given a whistle and sent on their way. Over time more protocols were put into place for interacting with parents and players, playbooks and even how to deal with concussions or other injuries.
But mental health was never discussed.
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Mental disorders in youth are ranked as the second-highest hospital care expenditure in Canada, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association, surpassed only by injuries. In Canada, 3.2 million youth between the ages of 12 and 19 are at risk for developing depression, and suicide is among the leading causes of death in Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24 with 4,000 people dying by suicide each year.
But assessing and treating mental health can be much harder than broken bones.
B次元官网网址淥ften youB次元官网网址檇 just sense it,B次元官网网址� Saunders said as he sat in the bleachers at the Juan de Fuca arena, overlooking the ice, the first banner his team won hanging on the wall. B次元官网网址淪ometimes youB次元官网网址檇 just get to know these kids like family.B次元官网网址�
As a coach, Saunders noted heB次元官网网址檇 see his players throughout their day, often at times when parents were working, and got to know a different side to them. B次元官网网址淵ou watch them go through the teenage years B次元官网网址� I coached some of the girls for 10 years.B次元官网网址�
Often, idle talk about slapshots or grounders would turn to something deeper.
B次元官网网址淥ne of my players came up to me and said B次元官网网址楥oach, I donB次元官网网址檛 feel well and I havenB次元官网网址檛 for a while and I donB次元官网网址檛 want to live any more.B次元官网网址� As a coach, what do you say to that?B次元官网网址�
Suddenly heB次元官网网址檇 be forced to make a decision between breaking that trust and his role as their mentor by letting parents know. Unfortunately, it was a situation Saunders found himself in several times during his coaching career.
B次元官网网址淚t wasnB次元官网网址檛 uncommon, youB次元官网网址檇 see different scenarios,B次元官网网址� he said, speaking in general about mental health. B次元官网网址淭he main thing is letting the kids know theyB次元官网网址檙e not alone and itB次元官网网址檚 OK to speak out.B次元官网网址�
In other situations, a player wouldnB次元官网网址檛 show up for a few practices, so heB次元官网网址檇 call home only to reach a distraught parent who didnB次元官网网址檛 know what to do or where to turn.
B次元官网网址淲hen I first started 16 years ago, I didnB次元官网网址檛 know where to go,B次元官网网址� he confessed.
But over the past few years, he started to see a shift. Mental health is talked about more openly in the dressing room with team captains and assistant captains taking more notice of their fellow teammates and even flagging some behaviour or incidents that may have happened at school for coaches. Saunders also noted there are no phones in the dressing room or on the ice, so players have at least a brief break from social media.
B次元官网网址淭hat was never there when I was a kid B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 a different world,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淪ports kept me out of trouble when I was young, kept me healthy.B次元官网网址�
But only one out five children who need mental health services receive them, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association.
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B次元官网网址淎 Pathway to HopeB次元官网网址� is a 32-page report examining mental health and addiction services in the province, released in June 2019 by B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions. This fledgeling ministry was created in 2017 and is the first of its kind in Canada. The report lays out the B.C. governmentB次元官网网址檚 10-year vision for mental health and addictions care while identifying priority actions.
The report estimated 84,000 B.C. children between the ages of four and 17 are experiencing mental health disorders at any given time. Between 2009 and 2017, there was an 86 per cent increase in hospitalization in B.C. for mental health issues for people under the age of 25. ItB次元官网网址檚 estimated 70 per cent of mental health and substance use problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence.
B次元官网网址淏ecause mental health and substance use care have never been a priority of any provincial government, services today are fragmented, and lack consistency of oversight and delivery,B次元官网网址� the report noted. B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 have a clear picture of the magnitude of need.B次元官网网址�
Which means residents are forced to navigate between primary, community and acute or emergency services in both the public and private sectors.
ThatB次元官网网址檚 why Saunders has spent the past year-and-a-half working on behalf of the Saunders Family Foundation with the ChildrenB次元官网网址檚 Health Foundation of Vancouver Island and Foundry Victoria to establish a guide that can be handed out at the beginning of the season to coaches.
B次元官网网址淩eally itB次元官网网址檚 for anyone who encounters a young person struggling with mental health or substance abuse,B次元官网网址� explained Jen Harrison, youth and family engagement coordinator and wellness navigator at Foundry Victoria.
Constructed with input from doctors, FamilySmart and caregivers, itB次元官网网址檚 meant to act as a map of options for the first steps in seeking help. B次元官网网址淣othing about navigating those systems is linear,B次元官网网址� Harrison added. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 meant as a connection tool, not a fix.B次元官网网址�
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With a doctor shortage across Greater Victoria, operations manager Melanie Winter said the Foundry is no different than other walk-in clinics, often reaching capacity early in the day. B次元官网网址淪ince opening the doors weB次元官网网址檝e seen an influx B次元官网网址� ThereB次元官网网址檚 just not enough time or resources available for every single person.B次元官网网址�
Located at 818 Douglas St., Foundry Victoria provides young people with free mental health and substance use support, primary care, peer support and social services as well as offering supports for caregivers. And itB次元官网网址檚 not alone. The staff there work hard to connect with other service providers in the community to help residents navigate the system. B次元官网网址淓verybody brings their resources to the table,B次元官网网址� Winter added. B次元官网网址淲e work really hard to build relationships.B次元官网网址�
And itB次元官网网址檚 needed. Nearly one million British Columbians will experience a mental health or substance use issue every year, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. In her 2019 report, Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.B次元官网网址檚 provincial health officer, noted British Columbians rate their mental health as nearly the lowest in the country with the percentage of residents reporting positive mental health trending down.
B次元官网网址淓verywhere is busy B次元官网网址� there are waitlists, thatB次元官网网址檚 the reality of the need right now,B次元官网网址� Harrison added. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e in a healthcare crisis.B次元官网网址�
Which has consequences felt by all. B次元官网网址淭he crisis-centred approach that defines our traditional approach to care hurts everyone,B次元官网网址� noted that Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions report. B次元官网网址淲e know that the services needed to address these challenges arenB次元官网网址檛 keeping pace with needs.B次元官网网址�
For more information on Foundry Victoria and the free, confidential services available for young people, parents or caregivers, go to .
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