Mental illness.
There, I have said it.
As seniors, we are concerned about our physical and emotional and mental health as this is all part of our healthy aging.
Mental health has a reassuring positive ring to it. It sounds warm and fuzzy and inviting. Good mental health is like having a good hair day.
But mental illness is not.
The subject is inescapable as we are inundated daily on the television news with horrific, sometimes sad and often infuriating stories about people with mental illness.
These people are the homeless on our streets. They may have addiction issues. They may have committed a crime only to be remanded for a short period in jail and then released.
We watch these stories unfold, and we are furious.
We pontificate and give our armchair advice asking why can’t something be done about these mentally ill souls.
For God's sake, this is 2025 in Canada, we exclaim with our righteous voices.
But nobody hears until it is personal.
And even when mental illness becomes personal as in a daughter in crisis, still nobody hears.
With my partner’s permission, I am telling his story in the hope it will help others.
His elder daughter, who is over 50, has always been artsy, eccentric and has observed the world through a different lens.
In the decade I have known her, she has been hospitalized twice under the Mental Health Act. During her first psychiatric hospitalization after a psychotic episode, nobody would talk to us citing patient privacy. We couldn’t get any answers from the medical professionals.
However, upon discharge, she was compliant with her medications. As she had ended her marriage, she had nowhere to live, so I let her live in my home for a month. Her sister found her a condo where she put down a healthy down payment. My guy co-signed the mortgage and bought her new furniture and a car. She had a job teaching flute. All was good for a while.
Her behaviour escalated to a manic stage as she had long discontinued her medications. While we were away, her condo manager called the police. They broke down her door and took her to hospital once again. The locks were changed so we had no keys.
Again, no one would talk to us.
This third time, for over a year, his daughter has refused all contact with her father and her sister. When we tried to contact her, she would not take our calls. When we texted or emailed her, she responded with nonsensical gibberish and horribly abusive language directed at her father and sister. Psychosis had once again reared its ugly head.
She would not answer the door.
Her dad and I were leaving for Mexico and were feeling helpless.
Luckily, we were contacted by the condo property manager who had issued several letters and fines with regards to strata infractions. She suggested we fill out a Form 9 and take it to a provincial court judge.
I, who worked in health care my entire career, had never heard of a Form 9.
My partner testified for over an hour before an empathetic judge who actually heard what he had to say. The warrant was taken to Coquitlam RCMP who acted immediately and apprehended his daughter under the Mental Health Act.
A caring nurse at Royal Columbian Hospital spoke with us and assured us she would receive the treatment she needs. We are so grateful our daughter is in the state-of-the-art Mental Health and Substance Use Wellness Centre.
Hopefully, she is on her way to a permanent recovery towards mental health.
April Lewis writes monthly on seniors' issues for Peace Arch News.
