Consequences

In the health care system, many people fall through the cracks. A lot of people shrug and say “that’s just the way it is”. Sometimes the consequences aren’t too severe. Sometimes though, they are.

Mental health writer Natasha Tracy vividly shared the story of her own suicide attempt (trigger warning). If you’re able to, read it.

If you’re one of the people working in mental health who goes out of their way to help people in need, know that it can make a difference.

If you’re one of the people in mental health who sometimes lets people slip through the cracks because “it’s not my problem” this should hit you like a punch in the gut.

If you’re a politician, health ministry worker, etc. in any position to influence how the system functions, understand that this one incident encapsulates what it means to have a mental health system in crisis.

Now multiply that by the hundreds and thousands in comparably dire circumstances.

Now multiply that by the hundreds of thousands who are suffering because they can’t get mental health help.

Okay, intellectually that may be useful to think about the scope of the problem, but it makes it too abstract. It takes the feeling out of it. Focus back on that one person, that one story.

Now focus on you.

One person can’t fix the system, and nobody should get trapped into thinking that they need to personally make up for all the flaws in the system.

But one person can make a difference.

And a lot of people pushing in the same direction can change a system.