By Tyler Marr

Time to #getloud about mental health

May 3, 2017 | 10:00 AM

Breaking the cycle of isolation and turning up the volume on long wait times for mental health are key messages for the Canadian Mental Heath Association (CMHA).

Mental Health Week, currently underway until May 7 and using the slogan #getloud, this year highlights the long wait times associated for those attempting to access mental health services.

The local chapter launched this week with their second annual walk around downtown to take the message to the street and to bring mental health to the forefront of people’s minds. Doug Kinar, executive director for the Prince Albert chapter of the CMHA said the issue of long wait times is one experienced regularly by those who access services.

“If we have enough psychiatrists and psychologists to fill the positions hopefully most people can be seen the way they need to be seen,” Kinar said. “If the health region can’t fill them cause no one is applying, that is a shortfall they can’t control.”

This alongside limited availability of services can impact one’s road to recovery.

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“Somebody who is in crisis today may not be able to wait until tomorrow and the crisis only gets worse, rather than better,” Kinar said.

The CMHA chapter in P.A. operates a program called The Nest and works to deliver services that aid those struggling with mental health issues, grow their independence and navigate the system. Providing art classes, lunch programs, education and just a place to go may sound like simple actions, but provide ample assistance to those in need.

“It also gives them a place where they can be just relaxed and happy,” Kinar said.

Creative expression is a popular program of many who access the chapter’s services. For the month of May, an art show is on display at the Prince Albert Art Gallery.

“It gives you an idea of who you are and where they come from, and the impact from the art is incredible,” Kinar said.

The rest of the year, the chapter works to fund external programs like housing and is currently working to garner grants to develop a cold storage room to help prolong the lifespan of donated food, grow their own and dampen associated costs.

Kinar welcomed the awareness week, saying “everybody who is alive has mental health issues.”

“We all deal with our own mental health on a daily basis. The importance of bringing awareness to that is to reduce the stigma and inform the public. If people are asking what it is all about, it lets people see we are all in the same boat.”

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr