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Is there an Expiration Date for Mental Health Treatement?

Like all good things. they must come to an end. This is what I am learning in regards to the mental health care system in Canada. Obviously there is no cure to mental illness, so the thought seems redundant that some service care providers, possibly and government funded organisation would end the mental health care that you are receiving. But this seems to be the case. Organisations like the CMHA enjoy serving those in our community, but they don't seem to have the funds or a mandate to serve you indefinitely. A rude awakening for some of us who have been receiving treatment from them for over a long period of time. This is a refection of the 'new way' that mental health is being ministered in Canada, and specifically Ontario. It is kind of a self-serve treatment process where you pick and choose who and what serves you the best. Self determination is the key ingredient on the menu, but if you don not choose wisely you are out. Our health care system right now is kind of like the game Survivor where you have to manipulate others, and manipulate your tribe to win. It is actually very frightening.

This might sound like I am making this stuff up, but I can assure you that my mind doesn't work this way. I'm not out to attack the system, but to bring awareness where it is needed. The CMHA has somewhat turned me into an advocate, but even advocacy has a expiration date. I don't want to create a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it is worth a try. I have been with the CMHA for a very long time, and a couple of years ago they wanted to change or terminate my care that I have been receiving from their ACT Team, a sort of transition out from weekly regular care to something like no care at all. I put up a fight, and they have been extending my care because of it.

They even helped me publish a real life story about my mental illness for which I am grateful, but the purpose of the CMHA and organisations like this is not to terminate care (which they said they do) but to provide care, for those who are most vulnerable. Like some of the arguments that Obama Care was receiving from the political right when it came out, there was talk about death panels who would decide who gets to live and who gets to die. In Canada, we recently made euthanasia legal and our health care system is still shuttering from it. Doctors are being forced to kill people, or recommend their patients to someone who will. Clearly going against the doctor's oath to do no harm. I wonder how many people have been killed by our system since the legislation was made legal? The mental health care system is no different, they are not killing people, they have so many people they can treat and when your time runs out, you are taken out of the system,

This might be a good thing for some of us suffering with life long diagnoses, because even though there is no cure from mental illness, getting out of the health care system may improve our lives. There is freedom to be had, and more growing up to be done when the system releases you. Don't get me wrong it is a horrible thing to deny someone care who needs it, and I am not advocating for the end of mental health care in this country, I am simply pointing out a harsh reality that exists
currently, that if you have a loved one in the system right now, their goal is not to treat that person indefinitely but to eventually make more room for someone else to take his or her place. There are flaws in our mental health system, and this might leave someone feeling there is no hope, but my council is that if someone is eventually denied service or transitioned out of it, it is a good thing in my opinion. It will show that there are some major flaws and mistakes in the community service organisations that are receiving governmental support in our country and it will make room for we the people to see the problem and fix it.

No body likes to be denied medical service in our country, even the right to die let alone essential service like mental health care, but this is how it is set up right now and it needs to change. This is Mike.   

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