Laval, Amqui, Rosemont… After each tragedy, the condolences of politicians rain down, but do not dry up the feeling of powerlessness of the population. Beyond the promises of deploying additional mental health resources, “work on the social fabric” is expected.
“Since the Quiet Revolution, we have taken a life trajectory very focused on performance, individualism, productivity, explains the director of the RBC Center for University Expertise in Mental Health, Julie Lane. [Il faut] reworking our social fabric, ensuring that well-being and mental health are everyone’s business. »
Traveling to Amqui on Thursday, Prime Minister François Legault promised to devote more money to mental health in the next budget, expected on Tuesday. “We added resources with the pandemic. More needs to be added. »
But there are resources, says Mme Lane, interviewed at Duty. “We have been fortunate in Quebec, in recent years, to have broadened the range of services and support offered in connection with mental health. But the population is unaware of the resources at its disposal, she laments.
A flaw that should be a priority of the government, according to her. “In all these tragedies, there is often a person who is caught in distress, but who does not have the toolbox to deal with it,” explains Ms.me Lane.
“It is clear that there is a lack of resources in the health network. […] We must consolidate these resources, but we must also make known the resources, the tools that exist and that are offered by community organizations, by the education sector, by citizens,” says the professor from the Department of studies on academic and social adaptation at the University of Sherbrooke.
“It’s the ministry’s reflex, sometimes, to say, ‘Oh, we’re going to bring down some money.’ […] Unfortunately, sometimes that money goes downhill without direction. Sometimes, different ministries finance the establishment of similar initiatives, which are neither concerted nor coordinated,” says Ms.me Lane deploring a “misuse of public funds”.
A bad speech?
Does the Prime Minister hold the wrong speech? For the moment, no, answers the professor of political communication and strategy at the University of Sherbrooke, Emmanuel Choquette, who believes that from a communication point of view, the support is well expressed.
After a tragedy, it is “quite normal for our political representatives to speak with one accord not to accept this kind of situation [et] especially, of course, to show their support for the people affected.
“I think that the government in place has been very agile, since the start of the pandemic, on all the issues that we have seen emerging in society, abounds Mme Lane. Agile in willingness to respond with support. My downside is that it may sometimes be necessary to take a little step back, take the time to discuss with the actors in the field. »
But during tragedies, even if the people affected have a “normal desire to solve this problem quickly, decisions cannot respond at the same speed as emotion,” says Mr. Choquette.
“The central question is beyond words, can we believe it? Can it feel like we are taking real concrete steps to change? It remains a big challenge. If we have the impression that the actions are not there, there will be a gap, and more than a gap, there will be disappointment. »
“Upstream” support
The co-director of the Observatory on student mental health in higher education demands that mental health be addressed throughout the school career, and this, “from preschool to university”.
This would “raise awareness among young people and [de] contribute to developing their socio-emotional skills”, i.e. the self-regulation of emotions, the ability to resolve conflicts or the ability to manage stress, explains the professor.
An approach that would make “citizens more able to take care of their own mental health, but also more sensitive to the mental health issues of the people around them”.
“Quebec is behind compared to other countries. The issues of mental health, suicide and the tragedies we experience are not unrelated to the fact that Quebeckers, in general, have not been able to develop these skills. »
Mme Lane believes that journalists also have their responsibility in the face of the feeling of powerlessness that can rumble among the population. According to her, there is an “over-representation of this kind of tragedy in the media”. However, a “good proportion of the population […] I’m fine,” she says, calling on the media to “promote not just mental health issues, but flourishing mental health.”