Help Alix raise money

Welcome to my fundraising page for mental health! 

On May 1st, I’ll be running my first ever half marathon to raise money for the Canadian Mental Health Association! I’ve written below a bit of why mental health and supporting the sector is so important to me, and if you feel moved or compelled to do so, please consider donating. 

In memory of: I’m running this race in memory of one of my lifelong best friends who suddenly passed away in January. She was always my biggest supporter, never wavering. She listened to me endless times over the years talk about the mental health challenges I was facing. She believed in me and my goals in such a matter of fact way that sometimes I really would forget about my self-doubt afterwards. She helped me believe in myself. She’s inspired me to train for this half marathon and is my motivating force each time I’m running. I’m running this race for her. 

Me, Mental Health, and the Greater System

If you know me, then you likely know I’m quite open about my own mental health issues. Mental illness is not only something that has deeply affected me personally, but has also directly impacted people close to me. In any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness, and by age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness. And those are pre-pandemic stats.

The pandemic has had devastating impacts on people’s mental health, straining the already overextended mental health-care system. A recent national study assessing the impacts of the pandemic on mental health found over 37% of Canadians say their mental health has declined since the onset of the pandemic, and this increases for vulnerable groups (CMHA & UBC).

Before the pandemic, a study found that 85% of Canadians believe mental health services are one of the most underfunded services in the healthcare system, 86% believe mental health should be funded at the same level as physical health, and over 50% consider anxiety, depression, and addiction an ‘epidemic’ (CMHA). The economic cost of mental illnesses to the Canadian healthcare and social support system was conservatively projected at a staggering $79.9 billion for 2021 (MHCC). So why isn’t more being done? How did it get to this point?

As a woman who struggled with periods of debilitating anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress throughout my 20s - while unknowingly also suffering from a neurodiverse condition that exacerbated my mental illness symptoms - it frustrates me how flawed our mental health-care system is. Knowledge is power and I learned quickly that I would need to educate myself to ensure I was my own biggest health advocate, which has helped me process and better manage my own mental health issues, giving me the confidence to keep challenging myself to achieve my goals. 

For one of my Master’s research papers analyzing national healthcare systems globally, I had the opportunity to take a critical look at Canada’s universal healthcare system. Through doing so, the feelings of frustration I was experiencing as a person navigating Canada’s healthcare system were validated. Here’s what I took away from it:

There is a common narrative that Canada has free universal healthcare - and while yes, we are fortunate in Canada for our healthcare system, that narrative is misleading. It is based on the defining national principle that “access to universal coverage for medically necessary healthcare services should be based on need, not the ability to pay”. Now, think about basic health care services such vision care, dental care, and mental health services - they all require the patient to pay out-of-pocket if they do not have insurance, and even with insurance, there is often still a partial out-of-pocket expense. 

This means that the universal coverage statement implies that many health services – including mental health care – are not classified as “medically necessary”, when many would argue that, in fact, they are. This has resulted in a grey area in the Canadian health system – how can “medically necessary” truly be equitably and explicitly defined?

While the Government of Canada’s recent release of its 2022 Budget shows promising commitments to expand funding for mental health care, affordable housing, and addictions supports, it makes critical exclusions to needed investments in “community mental health, dedicated funding for supportive and transitional housing for people living with a mental illness, and support for the mental health and substance use workforce serving Indigenous communities” (CMHA). Another disappointing exclusion was the promised Canada Mental Health Transfer, a mechanism that has the potential to fill significant gaps in funding for community-based mental health.

It’s more important than ever that our governments do more to support the mental health-care system – including decreasing barriers to accessing supports; improving quality and quantity of services; increasing front-line workforce capacity; and promoting the de-stigmatization of mental illness, to name a few - and that as individuals, we do more to decrease the stigma in our own circles. I encourage you to check-in on loved ones (and yourself), asking how they are *really* doing, and welcome conversations about mental health, no matter how uncomfortable it may feel.

If you got this far, thank you for taking the time to read! And again, please consider donating - any amount helps!