Committed suicide at age 10. I write this sentence and delete it. It strikes me as bizarre, almost ridiculous. Because the word “suicide” should never be in the same sentence as “10 years.” Not that it’s better older, but the image is strong.
At 10 we are full of optimism, we have dreams that are not always realistic, we are in carefree childhood and are almost at the gates of pre-puberty. At 10, we like to drink a slush in the summer and put on our skates in the winter. At 10, our frustration stems from that moment when our parents remind us it’s time to sleep: after all, we’re not lockdown babies anymore.
Still, the story told this morning in Le Journal about suicides among our youth has had the effect of a blow. Our youth and our children are suffering. They suffer so much that too many of them do the irretrievable to put an end to his mental suffering.
We lose far too many children and young people to suicide. How could we ignore the signs of distress? Have we paid close enough attention to the signs that they must have left us? Our lack of understanding and our confusion today do not change the result.
Indeed, we have no right to be surprised. We know that psychological help and support services are not accessible. When it is invisible like the evil that gnaws at us, there is no window of access to the front. We like to pretend that mental health matters, but those are just words.
To access mental health services in Quebec today, one must be in one of two situations: be particularly persistent, persistent and patient enough (not characteristics of someone suffering from mental health) or be in such a crisis situation that we fearing our life or that of others will be imminently threatened. If you don’t fit into these priorities, take a number and wait, maybe one day it will be your turn.
Who is protesting for mental health? Which union denounces the lack of resources? Who would know what to do in the morning when they see their child in mental distress to help them recover? Not many people.
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