A letter to the editor
published in yesterday's edition of
The Chronicle Herald:
The Feb. 9 story "Family tried to get teen murder suspect psychiatric help" reports that the family of the young man charged tried to obtain psychiatric care prior to the tragic event. It is often the shocking that draws attention to the commonplace. We need to do more, much more.
Parents, youth and health providers have known for a long time now that rapid, efficent access to effective, high-quality mental health care is a problem. We need to do much better to ensure that those who need care immediately receive high-quality care immediately. That may mean redesigning our health system. That may mean addressing mental health literacy in schools and in the community. That may mean better training in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders for all health providers.
One in five young people has a mental disorder requiring professional treatment. If the prevalence of heart disease in youth was that high, would there not be a heart clinic on every corner? Yet those in most need of mental health care do not receive it. What is wrong with this picture? Enough is enough. It is time to fix the problem!
Dr. Stan Kutcher [pictured]
Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health
Dalhousie University
A letter to the editor published in yesterday's edition of The Chronicle Herald:
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