Mental-health services haven't matched demand, Manitoba minister says

Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen admits mental-health services have failed to keep up with demand, but says a government task force will look for ways to make the system more efficient.

"The area of mental health has changed a lot. In many ways, it's changed for the better over the last many years, in that the stigma has been reduced and people are more likely to come forward for help, and that's the good news story. The more difficult side of that is that the overall health-care system across Canada, I would say, hasn't done a good job of keeping up," he said in an interview Friday.

"I think the demand has always been there, but I think people are more willing to come forward to get help, so that is the challenge."

Goertzen was reacting to a CBC Manitoba series this week, profiling young people with serious mental health issues who cannot access professional help because of long wait lists.

For example, the mother of a 16-year-old girl who was hurting herself said they faced such a long wait for life-saving care that they went to the United States for treatment.

In another case, the mother of a 17-year-old girl who attempted suicide several times and died last year said locked, long-term inpatient treatment centres do not exist for youth in Manitoba.

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A recent Winnipeg School Division survey showed approximately 22 per cent of students in grades 7 to 12 reported having anxiety or feelings of fear in social situations.  

Goertzen said while he understands that some families are dealing with situations that can be urgent or life-threatening, the problem cannot be solved immediately.

"This isn't something that has crept up overnight. I mean, the challenge has been there for a while, but it certainly has accelerated," he said.

"I've talked to some regional health authorities who have told me that the number of requests for help for dealing for mental health has doubled in the course of one year, and so that is difficult for any system, I think, to manage properly. But we do have to ensure that there is the right plan."

Goertzen said he hopes to have a government task force set up by the end of this year to examine the issue and study ways to improve access to services.

"One of the things that we committed to and that we will fulfil is to have a mental health and an addictions task force to look at how people access the system," Goertzen said.

During this spring's election campaign, the Progressive Conservatives promised to "develop a comprehensive mental health strategy combining mental health and addictions programs and services with an emphasis on better co-ordination and access."

Goertzen said he hopes the task force, which will consist of professionals from within Manitoba and outside the province, will "give us some direction to better channel individuals who need help into the right places at the right time to get the right resources."

"There's a reason why we want to have the two of those together. Mental health and addictions are often and very much tied together and … a high percentage of individuals who are dealing with mental-health issues often deal with addictions issues," he said.

Funding for mental health issues will be discussed in upcoming provincial budget talks, said Goertzen, who added that he hopes the federal government will help out with more funding.

"When I meet with the federal government along with health ministers from across Canada in a couple of weeks, that is one of the priority issues that we have," he said.