Most people with concurrent disorders in Nova Scotia are falling through the cracks. There are no programs in this province to treat those with both a mental illness and the disease of addiction and/or alcoholism. Personally I am recovering from schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, addiction, and alcoholism. I have literally been to hell and back. I am very fortunate to have found recovery from all four. When I was staying at the Beacon Program one of the nurses worked in addictions for over 25 years. She knew what both mental illness and addiction was all about. When I went there I was only clean and sober for two months. I was suffering from the symptoms of schizophrenia and still wasn't recovering from my addiction. That nurse helped me. While I was being treated for my mental illness she was treating me for my addiction. I was lucky enough to receive treatment for both at the same time. Mental illness and addiction cannot be treated separately. We need to be treated for both simultaneously.
As a result of no programs to treat those with concurrent disorders most of us just fall through the cracks and never find recovery. In the past we were just bounced back and forth between addictions and mental health. In some cases both mental health and addictions refused treatment for those with concurrent disorders.
Today those in both the mental health profession and the addictions profession are saying that they are recognizing this problem and saying that special programs are needed to treat this sub population of mental health consumers. They are just full of hot air. They are talking about it but are not doing anything about it. There are still no programs in Nova Scotia to treat concurrent disorders.
There are some programs in other parts of Canada but most of them are in the big cities. Those of us who do not live in a big city never receive treatment and never find recovery. Even where there are programs the majority of consumers with concurrent disorders still never find their way into recovery simply because there are not enough programs to treat everyone with this condition.
Concerning Nova Scotia even Halifax and Dartmouth our only big cities don't have any programs. In Nova Scotia we don't stand a chance at finding recovery. The people in the mental health and addictions field need to wake up and do something about this problem. We live in Canada and are supposed to have rights. We are supposed to receive treatment for our medical problems. I believe that both mental illness and addiction are real medical diseases. We deserve the right to be treated for our concurrent disorders but we are not receiving this treatment because there are no treatments available.
I was siting in my psychiatrists office one day. He said to me, "if you don't stop using drugs and alcohol I would be permanently locked up and never get out." The reason being because of all the damage the drugs and alcohol was doing to me psychologically, emotionally, and even physically. I looked up at him almost in tears and said to him, "can you help me." He looked me straight in the eye and said, "NO" He knew what I was asking him and he didn't have the required knowledge to help me. Here was a man giving me a death sentence but couldn't save my life. Many other consumers with this problem cannot be helped either and as a result never recover. Those that work in addictions, mental health, and even medical doctors need to be trained to deal with concurrent disorders and be able to treat us and help us find recovery. We need special programs to be developed to treat those of us with concurrent disorders.
I have to confess that I believe that these programs might never be developed and if they are it will be many many years down the road. Nova Scotia needs to get out of the dark ages and do something about this problem. Most consumers with this problem desperately need help but it is not available. Basically there is no hope of recovery. I am not trying to be negative for the sake of being negative. I am simply stating the facts of the situation. Mind you some do recover but that is a minority of those with concurrent disorders.
Everyone that is involved in the mental health consumer population needs to get together and start advocating and making lots of noise. Like the old saying goes, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." We all need to rise up and persuade the necessary people to actually do something about this major problem. If we cannot persuade those in high positions to do something, nothing will be done, and those of us who suffer more than words can tell, don't stand a hope in hell of ever recovering. What it boils down to we need to become activists and fight tooth and nail to have something done. If we don't fight then we cannot win the war. Lets all rise up and start fighting and eventually we just might win.
