#Mental health services

[furiousgoldfish]

If you have experiences to provide or facts to provide about this, please add them on this post!

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Volunteer firefighters and volunteer ground search and rescue teams in Nova Scotia now have access to mental health supports at any time and at no cost. The Government of Nova Scotia announced that services are available on Friday. The program was originally announced in November 2023. According to a news release, the program will give volunteer first responders and their families’ access to a range of mental health and wellness services like personal and family counselling, along with stress management, nutrition advice and more. In Nova Scotia, there are about 6,000 volunteer firefighters and 1,200 ground search and rescue volunteers.

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Tagging @politicsofcanada

[glazedsnail]

I understand how we can call Shane an alcoholic I mean, yeah I know.

I used to work with substance users and about 90% of them were using to forget, to numb themselves, to stop feeling, at all.

I used to abuse substances myself, and I wanted to numb everything. I wasn't seeking substance for substance, I wanted it to shut my brain up.

I've been asked to join AA before I was even able to access mental health services.

I can still drink now and then.

I have the odd cravings, sometimes.

But mainly I'm getting the support I need, needed before I fell into the users crowd.

I know I'm reading too much into a pixelated character built in a farmer simulation video game. But I struggle with calling him an alcoholic.

Nobody needed to read that but there, I wrote it ┐⁠(⁠‘⁠～⁠`⁠;⁠)⁠┌

Edit: I kept my words tame cause I'm a ducking coward but, yeah, I HATE when people call Shane an alcoholic.

He fell into alcohol dependency because of a lack of support and the fact drinking is a socially acceptable form of self harm.

I'm not gonna go into details of my drinking history cause it's not the point but when it became clear in the game that Shane was drinking cause he was deeply depressed my heart just SHATTERED man.

Anyway, my words are still tame cause I'm still a coward but now I made it clearer I simply cannot use that term \o/ it's 4am where I am and I kept tossing and turning going like "no fricking way you understand why we'd call him an alcoholic are you dumbass" so here is my addendum.

Much love from the so called town alcoholic wh*re from age 13 😘

[kitten-forward]

[cyberneticienne]

Ok, first: mental health services in Greece suck. I won't even talk about counseling centers for abused women run by the state and some of them by the EU as well. They are comprised of civil servants who are almost never there, don't give a sh*t about helping women and, most importantly, have no idea how to help, reproducing a lot of patriarchal/misogynistic stereotypes which makes the whole experience retraumatizing. Actually, most of them seem so sick that make you think they are more in need of help than you are (but you are not the one who is supposed to help them anyway) and they are overall inadequate and easily become psychologically abusive. On the other hand my experience with private practitioners was horrific, the level of misogyny was inconceivable, they became downright abusive, ruining both my physical and mental health and got away with it, because victim blaming in Greece is so pervasive and I'm sorry for that. I even reported one of them to the medical association and it was like they were making fun of me, lying to me that they had not decided about the case for about a year, while they had actually decided in less than one month that there was nothing wrong about it (it's a long story), plus they would treat me as if I was annoying every time I would call them to get informed about the result. Horrible.

In the last session I had with a psychologist in a counseling center he told me that I shouldn't tell people what I've been through so that they don't gossip about me or point the finger at me and laugh and because people may not be able to take it. About a job I had just found he advised me to be totally obedient and always in a good mood and do what they ask me to do without any reaction. And I really don't understand how this is supposed to be empowering for abused women.

[midnight-love-song]

Why are mental health assessments always conducted by people who would’ve mercilessly bullied you in school

[plantbasedmimi3]

You know you've healed when you view inconsistency and lack of discipline as a turn-off rather than an invitation to try harder.

[livsworld-ndstyle]

destigmatizing mental illness

i mention some laws that may not be the same in other regions but i’ll provide a link to other disability laws in regional areas.

p.s. before i begin tysm @wonkybrain-disorder for being the only vote:)

and no, im not gonna present super well-known responses., but the opposite.

1. choose your words wisely and carefully.

recently i’ve seen the “acoustic” and “restarted” joke flood across social media and if i’m being superbly honest it’s insane how neurodivergent people came up with it and the neurotypical population took it.

a lot of people in my school causally throw out the r-word, which is insane, because when i do hear it, i know they’re joking but that word isn’t a joke and i always feel like im in such proximity every time i hear it.

2. besides public education and teaching people about the meaning of mental illness, which doesn’t work, because either we don’t want to tell people about it because we’re scared of a reaction in the wrong way or any other rational fears, i’m not going to mention that.

what you should do is try and increase any form of accessibility services. if a person is in a wheelchair and paralyzed and all the building has is stairs, you are not being accommodating. the same thing has to do with if you’re an educator denying a student’s accommodations and treating them like crap in the education setting. well one, if the student has a disability under IDEA or ADA, IDEA being the individuals w disabilities education act and ADA being the americans w disabilities act.

here is the link i mentioned in the subtext under the title.

3. besides the education community, also spread awareness in the workplace!

a lot of people even with disabilities and mental health issues are presently seen in the workplace and it’s great to see the uptick in that statistic, but to continue that, we must keep pushing for equitable access to awareness in the workplace!

4. this may be a bit of a personal one for me and maybe some others- but i wish teachers wouldn’t make it instantly obvious that something is wrong with you - they’ll do anything to treat you differently and it turns a light on in the neurotypical brain that makes them think that everything they’re seeing is concrete evidence.

here’s a great video we watched in my health education class, if you’re willing to see a short video.

we watched this during our mental health unit and i loved that unit, its always a great one seeing attempts to make the world a better place!

5. also neurotypical people LOVE to say “everyone’s just a little bit + some random disorder”

it’s annoying to those who have whatever the disorder is.

like saying i’m autistic isn’t an adjective in the way that it’s a personality trait, because it’s not.

saying everyone’s a little bit autistic kills us all.

6. unsupportive parents.

there are parents out in the world who don’t believe in mental health for what it is and just think its an internet craze. if it was an internet craze, why are more and more people still getting diagnosed to this day?

[ i might add to this post later on if ideas come to mind, but that’s it for now! ]

i guess if you have more tips that i didn’t mention- feel free to comment or reblog this post!

also once again tysm @wonkybrain-disorder for suggesting this through the poll :)

[furiousgoldfish]

as extra information if you can, leave your country in the tags and whether you feel safe or not!

[ashersbraincell]

Dawg I’m lowkey terrified of my therapist

Bro somehow got an alternative/scene kid radar so strong he snuffed out I had an alternative phase from a MILE AWAY(I no longer dress so, none of the things I was wearing were even remotely alternative, my hair wasn’t styled in that way at all)

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The British Columbia government says 10 new Foundry centres are being developed in the province that will give young people and their families faster and easier access to mental health and substance use services. Foundry is an integrated health and wellness service for people aged 12 to 24. According to a statement from the province, new centres will offer primary care, counselling, early intervention, prevention and addictions supports. The province says it has earmarked close to $75 million for Foundry expansion, with new centres coming to Burnaby, Chilliwack, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Quesnel, Sooke-Westshore, South Surrey, Vancouver, Vanderhoof and the West Kootenays.

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Tagging @politicsofcanada

[theghostofaname]

If I had the ability to go through all the work and application process to get support i probably wouldn't need the support.

[kitten-forward]

[selectivechaos]

mental health support really does vary by area and it mostly doesn’t reflect your worth, importance, or the severity of your mental illness if you can’t access support or can’t access the level of support you need.

like seriously in some places you can have a 5 panic attacks and flashbacks in the street and no-one will give a second glance. but in other places they actually will fucking stop to help you. i’ve moved somewhere else and like it shocks me how much support is offered here, simply because it’s available (whether it is accessible is another question).

so if anyone says to you “there are resources out there” always fucking question whether those resources are accessible (physically, financially, practically etc.) and suited to your needs. because there’s privilege in saying that.

but also please don’t assume that no-one will help you, or that there won’t be accessible support available. because sometimes we don’t look for it, or even reject it, because we aren’t used to anyone giving a shit.

it’s so easy when your mental health has been neglected by the local govt, the services, the people around you etc, to believe that it is a trivial concern or that you don’t matter.

you aren’t wasting anyone’s time, maybe they just didn’t have the time to give, but that doesn’t mean that someone else won’t. 🌹🌹

[wecandoit]

Hi friends, with uni starting up again I've been really motivated and grateful, but I am going through a lot mentally and emotionally with family stuff (more than usual lol) so I was considering using the uni counselling service. The qualm I have is that I only get access to four sessions for free, and then can have only six more for the year (billed). I'd rather not start at all than be cut off from sessions before I can reap the benefits...

That's why I wanted to ask anyone who has used university- or college-based counselling services what your experience of it was. you can just answer in the poll, but i'd also really appreciate if you could tell me more about it in my inbox if you're open to it

[plantbasedmimi3]

When you are being dishonest with yourself about someone completely destroying your emotional health—that is the biggest sign it’s time to go.