After months of optimism fuelled by lower case numbers and rising vaccination rates, Canada appears to have entered a fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, one marked by the highest daily case numbers seen yet.
Now, as a growing number of stricter restrictions are introduced country-wide, many Canadians are struggling with feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression, adding to the mental health crisis experts say is largely driven by “COVID-fatigue.”
CTVNews.ca has compiled a list of free mental health resources you can turn to if you’re struggling amid the latest surge in cases.
IF YOU’RE IN CRISIS
If you’re in crisis, immediate danger, or need urgent medical support, always call 911.
You can access support workers, social workers, psychologists and other professionals for confidential chat sessions or phone calls by texting WELLNESS to 686868 for youth or 741741 for adults.
Youth and young adults aged five to 29 can also access Kids Help Phone 24 hours a day for confidential and anonymous care from professional counsellors. Call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868.
If you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts, Canada Suicide Prevention Service offers 24-hour bilingual support at 1-833-456-4566.
The Hope for Wellness Help Line also offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples. Phone and chat counselling is available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut at 1-855-242-3310.
CANADA-WIDE RESOURCES
The federal government has a dedicated mental health and wellness support portal that offers several different resources, including those for Indigenous peoples, youth and seniors. But there are several different nationwide services that offer mental health resources and support for Canadians.
As part of its COVID-19 response, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has launched a website for Canadians grappling with pandemic-related issues such as stress and anxiety, loss and grief, stigma and prejudice, and quarantine and isolation.
This free online resource offers coping strategies and personal assessment tools to help you manage your stress and anxiety, as well as support mechanisms for supporting your loved ones who are struggling during this time.
Wellness Together Canada also has several resources for coping with COVID-19, including links to various national services like Kids Help Phone.
The World Health Organization also has a mental health resources page on its website, with recommendations for healthy parenting, diet advice, and physical activity recommendations all tailored for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall, most experts recommend that those struggling with mental health keep up their daily routines as much as possible, exercise regularly (even if that means you have to make adjustments for home-based workouts), stay informed but reduce the amount of news and social media content you consume to avoid anxiety and burnout and keep up forms of social contact, even if that means calling a friend or loved one on the phone.
PROVINCIAL AND TERRITORIAL RESOURCES
- Alberta: Alberta Health Services
- B.C.:HealthLinkBC: Mental Health and COVID-19
- Manitoba: Care for Your Mental Health
- New Brunswick: Mental health and coping during COVID-19
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Mental health and wellness
- Northwest Territories: Mental health and social distancing
- Nova Scotia: Mental health and wellbeing
- Nunavut: Managing anxiety and stress during COVID-19
- Ontario: Mental health, wellness and addictions support
- Prince Edward Island: Mental health and addictions services
- Quebec: Protecting your well-being in the COVID-19 pandemic
- Saskatchewan: Mental health and COVID-19
- Yukon: Mental health and wellness support during COVID-19
Article From: CTV news
