Thank you very much for your question.
I'm going to speak in English, because I said I would. I hope that's okay. It's weird whenever I'm addressing someone in French, but I can speak in French as well. I just want to make sure it's okay with the translator.
The main reason is the availability of funds and, to some degree, bias that still exists in medicine that a lot of mental health is in your head and doesn't affect the body. There's a disconnect there, but by and large, it's something we've been struggling with for years.
I'm a clinical psychologist. One thing that still exists to this day—and there's a particular problem in Quebec—is that we have a lot of interns, who are the equivalent of medical residents, who do not get paid for their psychology internships, which is not the case in other provinces. The only explanation I can really give you is that it hasn't been prioritized all this time. It has certainly been deprioritized when you look at the funding set aside for mental health services, and I think more needs to be done.
As someone said earlier, this pandemic has only accentuated the disparities and the gaps in the available services for people who need them in terms of mental health services.
I couldn't agree with you more. It's great to have great physical health, but without mental health.... I'm sure everyone would agree that it's the primary reason a lot of people actually consult their doctors. They don't feel good; they aren't sleeping and they can't function in daily life.
I don't have anything more than that we're dealing with a history of bias and a history of deprioritizing mental over physical health. Definitely, more needs to be done.