A St. Thomas, Ontario resident, Amanda Stark, 43, reported feeling abandoned by a 24/7 mental health helpline, which failed to offer her any referrals or immediate assistance for her anxiety.
Last week, Stark contacted Reach Out, a provincially funded mental health and addiction support service. To her dismay, a representative acknowledged her struggles but informed her that no one was available to help at that moment.
“I answered all his questions and explained my current mental health and life situation. He took a moment and said, ‘Wow, that’s a lot,’ then told me there was nobody available I could talk to,” Stark recounted to CBC’s London Morning.
Reach Out, operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services, supports residents in London, Middlesex, Oxford, and Elgin counties. It is funded by Ontario Health and provides crisis services, supportive listening, and system navigation.
The organization behind the program expressed serious concern about Stark’s experience. While no one was available for an interview before publication, a spokesperson sent an email expressing regret.
“We’re sorry to hear that Amanda’s experience left her feeling unsupported; this is not how we want callers to feel after speaking with Reach Out,” wrote Kelly Morgan. “Typically, when someone calls Reach Out expressing concerns about self-harm or experiencing a mental health crisis, our responders provide supportive listening, validate their feelings, and offer safety planning or coping suggestions.”
Stark explained that the person who answered her call, who was not a counsellor, asked several intake questions about her history with self-harm and hospitalizations to gauge the severity of her situation. Although he was kind and friendly, Stark felt a referral to another community service could have been more helpful.
“He used some counselling-type supports in the way he spoke to me, but I really could’ve used more,” Stark said.
CMHA emphasized that if there are serious concerns about a caller’s wellbeing, responders can direct them to the Crisis Centre, deploy a mobile response team, or coordinate with first responders and local police for a wellness check.
Stark, who has a traumatic brain injury and mild depression and anxiety managed with low-dose medication, said most days are manageable, but her anxiety can become intense. This prompted her to seek support from Reach Out.
“I thought, ‘I’m not going to sit and deal with this anxiety on my own.’ I know there are community supports, so I called. I just needed someone to talk to for a half-hour to support and guide me through things,” she said.
“Although the responder was skilled in active listening and had a calm demeanor, he couldn’t offer the in-the-moment emotional support I had hoped for.”
Stark expressed frustration over the lack of services for people with mild mental illness, noting the long wait-lists to see professionals or the need for hospital visits. She argued that a service funded by public tax dollars should be better equipped to handle such situations.
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