The waiting time for a mental health consultation leaps in Abitibi-Témiscamingue

It is a month old that a year ago, according to the most recent data from the Integrated Health and Social Services Center of Abitibi-Témiscamingue (CISSS-AT), obtained by Radio-Canada.

Waiting times deplored by community stakeholders, who fear that the most vulnerable resign themselves not to receive more specialized services.

Suffering from a limited personality disorder (TPL), Madeleine, from the region, has just obtained an appointment with a public network psychologist, a year and a half after making the request from aSpeaker of his CEGEP.She would have liked to benefit from psychological help faster to alleviate the harmful effects of her illness on her mental health.

Because it is cured, I wanted to see a[psychologist] to work on the symptoms of TPL and get rid of it. Pendant un an et demi, j’étais en attente, donc je continuais à endurer les symptômes et à ne pas savoir quoi faire, témoigne la jeune femme, qui préfère qu'on ne révèle pas son nom de famille pour ne pas être jugée par ses pairs ou encore nuire à sa carrière.

Constant increase

The Quebec government wants to reduce waiting lists.

Photo: Istock

At the end of 2020, the daily La Presse revealed that in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, a person registered at the adult mental health access counter (Gasma) had to wait on average three months before being able to meet a mental mental speaker.

Today, she must wait about a month more.An increase of almost 30 % in the space of a year.The target set by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) is one month for all cases considered non -urgent.

Le Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l'Abitibi-TémiscamingueCISSS-AT explique que cette augmentation est en partie due au manque de ressources en services sociaux.Simply with regard to psychologists, ten positions are currently to be filled within the organization.

Karine Gauthier is president of the coalition of psychologists from the Quebec public network.

Photo: Radio-Canada

The president of the coalition of psychologists from the Quebec public network, Karine Gauthier, sums the Legault government to stop the scourge of the lack of professionals in psychology, which rages to the greatness of the province, according to her.

En améliorant l’accès aux psychologues, le gouvernement sauverait 228 millions annuellement en termes de frais d’hospitalisations, de visites chez le médecin de famille et à l’urgence, soutient-elle.

Number of people waiting for psychosocial care according to the line of services in Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Data from December 2021

Source: CISSS of Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Reality on the ground

Annick Strasbourg directs the spacer, a Témiscamingue organization helping people who suffer from mental disorders.She believes that the lack of resources in the territory discourages some people to ask for more sharp services such as treatment with a psychologist or a psychiatrist.

Four or five years ago, there was a lot of rolling in the Cisss-At at the hospital[de Ville-Marie]. Les gens qui viennent à l’Entretoise, ce sont des habitués et ils ont juste arrêté d’aller voir leur travailleuse sociale à l’hôpital parce que probablement qu’ils trouvaient leur compte avec les intervenants de notre organisme, note-t-elle.

Benoît Lallemand, street worker for youth stress in Rouyn-Noranda, who attends young people with different problems, abounds in the same direction as Annick Strasbourg.

Often the people I see need help there.It will not be in one or three months.People have difficulty in terms of their social skills, consumption and on lots of things.[...] Ils vont finir par laisser faire, déplore-t-il.

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Other types of services

The Quebec Minister Delegate for Health and Social Services, Lionel Carmant, announced a year ago 100 million dollars more to try to offer Quebecers mental health care faster.

The sums of which the region could benefit from this amount allowed the CISSS-AT to sign seven agreements with resources in psychotherapy from the private sector.The latter hold the right to practice psychotherapy with patients, but are not necessarily psychologists, would like to clarify the organization.

The CISSS-AT was also able to hire three full-time resources in its organization in Val-d'Or and Rouyn-Noranda.The latter may include social workers.

Deputy Director of Mental Health Programs and Dependence on CISSS-AT, Martin Trottier, reports that the organization had to expand the ways of offering the population of mental assistance to the assistance in mental health.

The idea is to offer services a little by step.[...] We have brief groups and interventions that we put in place on all territories.We also have support for autosoin. Nous voulons éviter que les problématiques se dégradent , indique-t-il.

Quebec unveiled on Tuesday a billion dollars for mental health.He once again wishes to considerably reduce the waiting lists to obtain services.The government also grants $ 100 million to community organizations over the next four years.