Sask. family says lack of mental health funding is putting youth at risk

WATCH: Two Saskatchewan parents are voicing their concerns about inadequate access to mental health care in the province.

Megan Isbister is using the start of mental health week to call on the provincial government for more supports.

Isbister’s 26-year-old brother Jacob died in March after a five-year battle with his mental health struggles.

Isbister says repeated barriers in the health system worsened his condition instead of improving it.

“The system’s failures left Jacob trapped in a cycle of insufficient care, causing his mental health to worsen significantly and leaving him increasingly vulnerable,” she said.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has declared May 5 to May 11 Mental Health week. The CMHA says a “crisis amount of youth” aren’t getting the help they need for mental health, addictions and substance use.

According to Statistics Canada, 213 people died by suicide in Saskatchewan in 2023. The rate of 17.6 per 100,000 population is the highest of all provinces.

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The CMHA said 48 per cent of youth with early mental health, addiction and substance use have accessed services in the province, compared to 61 per cent of youth across Canada.

Isbister is pointing to underfunding being the main issue.

“Despite Jacob’s resilience and the dedicated efforts of frontline workers, he consistently encountered systemic barriers caused by chronic underfunding and inadequate resources,” she said.

Fran Forsberg also watched her child struggle to get the help she needed and was baffled at the wait to access help.

“We were told that we would wait two to three years for services,” she said. “Not weeks — years. That is unacceptable in a country and a province that has this many resources.”

The two parents joined Saskatchewan NDP MLA Betty Nippi-Albright to call on the province to address mental health and increase supports for youth.

“The government needs to stop giving platitudes,” Nippi-Albright said. “Put that money back into the mental health supports that the people in this province need.”

Saskatchewan has fallen behind other provinces in attracting psychiatrists. There are roughly half the number psychiatrists working in Saskatchewan when compared to the national average with 7.4 psychiatrists per 100,000 population.

“It’s unacceptable. We need to find our humanity and we need to get on this now,” Forsberg said.

CTV News reached out to the provincial government for a comment, but didn’t receive a response in time by deadline.