Mental health issues are everywhere, especially on campus, but an incident involving children reported in the Yorkshire post has me irritated.
300 children with suspected mental illness being placed in police cells due to lack of accommodation according to Radio 4’s Your World This Weekend, who obtained the information.
This incident, especially because it involved young children, is extremely unacceptable. There should be something and someplace set up to accommodate these children especially during their time of ‘acute mental illness.’
Here in Canada in 1992, Bill C-30 was changed to people with mental illness will only be detained if they are seen as a threat to others, instead of the previous statement that persons with mental illness would be detained if they were found not guilty on the basis of insanity, previously established by the Lieutenant Governor at the time. As of 2005 additional items were added to Bill C-30 under which people were deemed unable to stand trial (UST), according to the Government of Ontario website under The Criminal Code and Mental Illness.
With this being said, we all know mental health issues exist everywhere even on campus. I would like to take the time right now to remind students that George Brown College offers several different services to those with mental health or general health problems.
- Counselling and Disability services – Provides one-on-one counselling for both academic and personal reasons and can be reached at 416.415.5000 and are located at St. James ext. 2107, Casa Loma ext.4585 and Waterfront campus at ext. 5370.
- Good to talk – A post-secondary student helpline for those who are seeking immediate counselling and anonymous support in Ontario. Also, Good 2 Talk provides counselling related to relationships, sexuality, employment, financial stress and even legal concerns.. Counsellors can be reached 24 hours a day at 1.866.925.5454.
- CAMH: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – This is an institution in Toronto that provides in-patient and out-patient services for both addiction and mental health concerns and issues. You can reach this institution at 416.535.8501
Students should be aware that if you suffer or struggle with mental health issues, there are people out there who care and want to help.
You are not alone!
