My experience with the health-care profession is many-faceted. In 1975, I became a dental surgeon after taking the Hippocratic Oath which essentially boils down to three words “do no harm.”
I went on to have a successful private practice in Victoria and served as a director on several boards including the Victoria District Dental Society.
In 1985, I was diagnosed with a mental disorder which became so disabling that I had to give up my profession.
I transitioned from being a caregiver to being a patient.
For the past 32 years of dealing with my condition it is clear to me that my condition is something that ebbs and flows; there are times when I experience periods of feeling grounded and functional.
At other times, I can fall into states of depression and anxiety that make my existence more than challenging to say the least.
It is now apparent that the system is becoming designed to deal with extremes, and those of us who are not perceived to be “sick enough” for care (at that moment in time) are being ignored.
I have seen too many individuals sent home by Island Health because the psychiatric emergency room was too small and there were far too few psych in-patient beds to deal with the needs of a large city such as Victoria.
The destructive consequences of having to go through an episode outside of a safe environment is irreparable, not only to the patient but also to those who have the misfortune of having to deal with the broken pieces.
Six years ears ago, I was fortunate enough to join a support group that consists of about 15 individuals who get together in the presence of a professional for one and a half hours a week.
The therapy has kept me grounded at a minimal cost to the system.
The existence of our group is now threatened because we are deemed to be “not sick enough” for treatment because most of us are not under the care of a case worker.
The situation is becoming egregious. Many in this city cling to lifelines that are being severed. Mental-health care services are being reconfigured to meet the needs of the most ill only, pushing those in the middle toward an extreme they have no desire to experience.
By removing services, a large segment of the population will be forced to be seen by walk-in clinics and family physicians where psychiatric care that is called for is not provided.
In fact, many do not even have a physician, let alone a psychiatrist, which often leads to the police force having to deal with their mental-health issues.
Those of us who never chose this disease are having to suffer the consequences of a failing system.
I fully understand that health- care delivery is governed by economics but at some point common sense has to enter the equation.
Limiting access to services will not improve outcomes such as suicide, infanticide, homicide, drugs, alcohol, homelessness, poverty, medical disease and the list goes on.
This false economy will result in more money being spent or wasted than being saved.
I suggest that before mental health services are removed, those responsible for making these decisions take a moment to ask themselves if they really believe that the Hippocratic Oath was just a suggestion.
Dr. David R. Heft is a former dental surgeon in Victoria.
