Thank you.
About 70% of adults living with a mental illness have onset before the age of 18. We know that early intervention can reduce the severity of the illness. For chronic conditions, research indicates that many youth experience symptoms of their illness between the ages of 12 and 17 years. This is, therefore, the timeline where targeted treatment could significantly address mental illness.
Mental health problems in children and youth can, if not properly diagnosed and treated, lead to more serious adult mental health disorders, which are both more difficult and costlier to effectively address. When prior unaddressed mental health issues are compounded with PTSD later in life, then the path to wellness becomes much more difficult and lengthy. Investing in mental health services early would lead to more rapid recovery and symptom management, and would drastically reduce costs associated with chronic mental illness.
We believe strongly that investing in educational programs for Canada's health care providers to enhance their ability to better treat PTSD and other mental illnesses can significantly improve the quality of life of those suffering from PTSD, preventing suicide.
Expanding on educational programs will help train primary health care providers in urban, rural, and remote communities nationwide. In almost every case of PTSD, an associated condition is depression. Canadians are now coming to understand that depression alone is an epidemic in Canada. It is implicated in every aspect of Canadian life, from the workplace to death by suicide of over 4,000 Canadians every year.
Considering the societal, personal, and economic toll of PTSD, we believe that investing in a comprehensive program focused on Canada's primary health care providers to enhance their ability to provide early diagnosis and treatment of PTSD to their patients is a prudent use of public funds that will save significant health care and societal costs in the future, and greatly enhance the quality of life of those suffering from PTSD, their families, and caregivers.
We know working directly with veterans living with mental illness and providing supports to them is key to reducing suicide. I'd like to thank the federal government for its support in our transitions to communities program, a partnership program between MDSC, Employment and Social Development Canada, and Veterans Affairs Canada.
Through this skills development program, our goal is to assist nearly 450 veterans over three years who are experiencing obstacles within their communities. The program aims to provide the direct supports needed to address the emotional and coping strategy challenges of veterans, with a focus on employability skills, mental well-being, and peer support.
We've just opened three facilities in Montreal, Calgary, and Toronto. While we are at the beginning phase, we are looking forward to working closely with veteran organizations, community groups, and employers.
I'd also like to speak to you about the importance of peer support programs. As we've heard from veterans themselves, they are key to recovery.
For example, the national peer and trauma support training and the project trauma support programs are innovative approaches to addressing mental wellness that use a patient perspective approach. Their goals are to provide support, education, and programs for military personnel and first responders who have been impacted by PTSD and other mental health issues in order to support their healing and recovery.
Project trauma support, located in Perth, Ontario, is a week-long concentrated program for military and first responders who have had their lives ravaged by PTSD, and is delivered in a cohort of 12 of their peers. Project trauma support incorporates equine therapy, adventurous rope courses, and peer support to educate participants about their emotional environment, while creating trust and fostering help-seeking behaviour. The program allows participants to process their experiences and authentic emotions, and to improve the lives of their families and peers in the process.
As a brief example of the transformation this leads to, I offer two quick testimonials.
The first one is from an RCMP officer, who said, “I came away feeling that something had fundamentally changed in me and the way I would deal with my PTS. Not only have I noticed a difference in the way I now live my life, others around me have noticed as well. I only wish I could have had this 14 years ago.”
The wife of a military officer said, “I think the magnitude and impact of this past week can best be summed up by our nine-year-old daughter coming up to me and saying, 'It's weird, but it looks like Daddy's eyes are alive.'”
While professional help is very necessary, it's not always available at eight o'clock at night or midnight, when veterans need someone to talk to about their stresses or thoughts of suicide. With peer support programs, people have a network of peers who understand what they're going through, because they've experienced the same things and can relate on an equal level. Funding more programs like these, as well as effective research, would go a long way to supporting the mental health needs of veterans.
In closing, our veterans have placed their lives on the line for our country. Providing care to these men and women must be a priority for all Canadians. Working as a team in training is what they know and how they have been conditioned. Healing and recovery need to use the same team approach.
We thank you for allowing us to share our thoughts.