The facts are staggering. The Canadian Mental Health Association states that…in any given year, one in five people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness. By age forty, about fifty percent of the population will have or have had a mental illness.

Almost one half (forty-nine percent) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem and only one in five children with mental-health problems receive mental health services.

Some of our barriers seem almost insurmountable: People who don’t accept they need help, believing they can deal with it on their own; those who know they are not well but won’t get support because of the perceived stigma attached; people who desperately want assistance but are put on wait lists; or those who reside in communities where services are slim.

The extreme pressures that this pandemic has placed on us drives the need for even more services than ever before. A bureaucratic system delivers and administers health-care services through provincial and territorial governments. We have primary, secondary, and supplementary services that are often fragmented and certainly not a “wrap around” model. It’s so complex that private organizations are offering “health-care advocates” to help us navigate the system.

The impact on the lives of those affected cannot be overstated. Through countless experiences as an educator, a friend, family member and parent, I’m sharing the story of “Jackson” (to be released in October of this year).

Jackson’s battle to take control over his own mind and life portrays what millions of people are fighting with around the world – mental illness. His mother, desperate to free him from his demons and desperation, faces her own turmoil and anguish, doing anything possible to save her son, through love and hope. After countless emotional, heartbreaking and triumphant moments, June and her son must both accept that only Jackson can save himself. Though Jackson leaves us with hope and a promise of a healthy future after years of suffering, the reality is that not every young person has that outcome. Suicide accounts for twenty-four percent of all deaths among fifteen to twenty-four-year-olds in Canada (four times more likely for men). Twenty-four percent!

June and Craig’s characters are of typical parents who desperately find their way through each crisis with their son, questioning themselves and carrying regrets. No one is prepared for what is thrown at them when their child can’t find their way out of bed or doesn’t believe there is a reason for being. But families need not struggle alone.

We have been far too slow to change in response to this growing crisis. But there is a movement that is gaining traction. There is no “one” magic bullet. But without taking the first step, the person suffering will never know what intervention could make the difference.

What can we do as individuals? Plenty! I hope that this book empowers each of us to act in support of ourselves, a loved one, or anyone showing the symptoms of mental illness.

We are much more aware than we have ever been in the past. Knowledge is power. We can’t walk away, avoid contacting someone because we don’t know what to say. Be there. Pick up the phone, drop in for a visit. It could be the moment you save someone’s life.