Access Mental Health

I have had a number of experiences over the years with AMH. Did they help me? Yes. However that help took me 8 years to get going through Alberta's health care system. Its very unclear on how to actually get help in this province. There are a number of offices under mental health and no straight forward way to get to them or what the process is. Also you have to have a referral from your GP most of the time. In my experience, I spent years working with GPs explaining myself and getting prescribed improper medication, or refusal to refer me, because GPs don't actually understand MH as the specialists do, and it's still kind of weird for them. However I did lodge a complaint with the province and I had it sorted and a phone call from a clinic a week after. I think they investigated a number of clinics and doctors once they knew what was happening... Anyways, it was a solid 14 months on the wait list, just to do the intake. Then to explain your story and get a proper diagnoses and meds about a month.... I was allowed to see the Psychiatrist I had been working with only for a while....then they put me on to a councillor, who was a fabulous person. I would say that the councilors are okay if you're new to therapy. The plan for me was that I would get a certain amount of appointments with her and then be released. Midway through, she moved on and I never heard from the clinic ever again about a replacement councillor. And for me and my illness, that was a hard blow. I have always felt like the level of professionalism, explaination and information was not there. The structure of Access mental health really is not ideal. It's convoluted and very difficult to navigate. I have met some people that I offered to help through it because they had the same experiences as I had and the frustration level is high. Also some people give up, because it takes too long or they feel hopeless. I really hope that over time, more attention will be put on mental health and funds will be distributed properly to have something solid for people who are suffering. Also, ongoing care is key. Not just a band aid approach to be able to address the numbers. So I gave a 3 because part of my opinion is about the province as a whole and the other is about once I actually got into the program. I started seeing a private doctor which has been amazing, and I'm fortunate that I can do that. But I feel that I cannot take the risk ever again with the public system due to the level of care I need and expect for my illness. It's just not a realistic situation for people with a serious mental health disease. If anyone reads this and is struggling in the system, please take your health into your own hands. Also, try looking into private health clinics and see if it's possible for you to get into one. Don't wait on anyone. Ask the questions, get the answers you need and if you don't, move on down the road to find what you need.
8 years ago (16-09-2017)