Cathy Dobson
A new crisis line for local children and youth is good news for mental health services in Sarnia-Lambton, says a teenager who has been repeatedly let down by the system.
“A crisis line just for kids is a step in the right direction,” says 18-year-old Maddie Causley.
“But what happens if you make the call, they recognize you need help, but there’s no counsellor available?”
Causley has spent years trying to get affordable counselling for anxiety and depression and has repeatedly been placed on wait lists of six months or longer.
It took a year to begin seeing a psychiatrist regularly. And that is just for 10 minutes a month, though it has given her access to medication.
Sarnia has nowhere near the level of professional support needed by youth in poor mental health, and the pandemic has only made the need greater, Causley said.
She leans heavily on her family to get through the hardest times, but worries about others struggling without professional or family support. Many turn to street drugs or become suicidal, she said.
Recently she wrote a three-page letter to Mayor Mike Bradley asking for help.
“Our city needs a real wake up call,” she wrote. “The system needs to be fixed.”
The letter was part of a Grade 12 ethics class assignment.
“I want justice for those who are more than the pills they take, more than the drugs they intake, more than a chemical imbalance in their brain, more than the feelings we feel, and more than the therapists we seek,” she wrote.
The letter was empowering and Causley decided to go further by creating an online petition (change.org/breakthestigma2021) calling for better services and greater understanding for youth with mental health issues. Nearly 400 people signed the petition in one week.
She then started a Facebook group called Tomorrow’s a Second Chance to address the stigma of mental illness, and began selling keychains to raise money for mental health resources. Already, $200 has come in.
Mayor Bradley responded to her letter, asking Causley and her mom Shelley to join a conference call with him and Paula Reaume-Zimmer, VP of mental health and addiction services at Bluewater Health.
During the April 8 call, the Causleys pleaded for greater access to better mental health services, for Maddie and the entire community, they said.
Maddie Causley said she’s starting to feel like she can make a difference.
“I am so excited. They seemed to really understand. The mayor said I shouldn’t have had to write him but he’s glad I sent him the letter,” she said.
“We all agreed that too many are falling through the cracks,” said her mom. “They understood our concern for everyone out there who doesn’t have an advocate.”
The Causleys said they were urged by the mayor and Reaume-Zimmer to consider joining Spoken Hope, an advisory committee working to launch ACCESS Open Minds for mental health and addiction youth services in downtown Sarnia. They were also encouraged to ask MPP Bob Bailey for more provincial funding.
“And that’s who is getting my letter next,” Maddie said.
Despite her own mental health issues, she said she’s focused on graduating high school with honours this spring and attending Lambton College to become a nurse.
She will also continue to press for more mental health supports for children and youth, she said.
“I’ve personally had a long journey to find help. Now I have found my voice and can help others.”