Green MP Calls For Action On Mental Health

A Green party MP from New Brunswick says we need to take action now to lessen the possible mental health effects of COVID-19.

Jenica Atwin, the MP for Fredericton, said the pandemic is unlike anything we have ever experienced before.

Atwin said public health professionals are now warning about an “echo pandemic” of mental illness.

“Just as we were able to predict the trajectory of infection at the onset of this virus and plan to flatten the curve, so too can we predict and take action towards bettering our mental health outcomes in the weeks and months to come.”

Atwin said the country was already facing a mental health crisis before the pandemic, addnig there are “massive” gaps in the system.

The MP said the psychological cost of isolation has already been a heavy burden for some Canadians to bare.

“Last Friday, Dr. Simon Sherry, a psychologist in Nova Scotia, indicated that he has seen more suicide attempts in the last three months than he has seen in five years,” said Atwin.

Atwin said she wants to see a national action plan so all provinces can meet certain minimum standards of mental health care.

“We need direct funding to community organizations and provincial health services and we need it now so we can scale these services up in time to deal with the echo,” she said.