ESTUDIO DE MÉTODOS

This guide was written with a friend by a former companion who has experienced the bewilderment and sense of aloneness that comes from being suddenly on the spot during a mental health crisis. We wanted to help others keep their footing, understand the challenges they may face, and learn the things they could do to help during this extraordinarily difficult time. Our idea was a guide that could pass on advice from experienced companions to new ones.

Besides a wide range of companions, we interviewed many others knowledgeable about mental illness: doctors, psychiatric nurses, case workers, directors of community health organizations, and people with mental illnesses themselves. We thank them all for their honesty and candour.

We were struck by the difference in perspective between health care professionals, who deal with large numbers of people and illnesses, and companions, who have dealt with only one ill person, but that one far more fully and closely than a professional ever could. Professional health workers have broad experience and vast sets of data, many ways of sharing their knowledge, and specialized medi- cal vocabularies. Companions have had no experience, few ways of sharing or even meeting, and no sense of how they can fit into the

process and help. Until now, companions have been fundamentally

isolated. We hoped that a guide like this could help reduce this iso- lation – in part by showing the importance of their role and giving it a name, that of “companion.”

We were also struck by the strength and diversity of local mental health communities. These communities are made up of all the people involved with mental illness: health care professionals, ill persons, companions, organizations, agencies. They work together, know one another, and are able to offer support and advice to the newcomer. The road for a companion can be a solitary one, but it doesn’t have to be. One of the best pathways out of isolation is to connect up with this community in your area.

Finally, we found there is no simple set of rules, no recipe for suc- cess as a companion. No sooner would we begin to think we had something like this than we would speak to one or two people who completely disagreed. We realized that each companion’s situation has aspects in common with others but as a whole is unique. So the

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suggestions in this booklet are no more than that. At best, they are true in most cases, most of the time. But we hope that reading this guide will help to reduce the drama and trauma that so often add to the burden of mental illness.

At the end of the day, what you as a companion will come to rely on is your own best judgment. No one else knows your situation as you do. But perhaps you’ll find courage from learning here that others have been in similar situations and found ways of dealing with them.

Katherine Farris Larry MacDonald

Designer: Annie Weeks, Beacon Hill Communications Group Illustrator: Susan Scott

Many people contributed to this guide. Some work within the medical profession, while others have actual experience in

caring for someone with a mental illness. Special thanks to Darryl Jackson, Dr. Jay Moss, John Gray, and Gail Simpson.

We are also indebted to Dr. Anthony Levitt, Dr. Heather Maclean, and Dr. Sarah Romans for their help with refining the scope of the project and finding the contributors and funders.

More comments from mental health professionals and others:

At a time when health care dollars are being stretched to past the breaking point, this piece promotes the development of healthy support systems for our clients. In the future, there will be increasing pressure for families and companions to be more involved, and this guide will be invaluable.

– Darryl Jackson, MSW, RSW

Social Worker, Psychiatric Day Hospital, Eric Martin Pavilion, Victoria, BC

People at their first contact with the mental health treatment system often feel numb, fearful, confused, disorganized, vulnerable, quick to anger, or any combination of these emotions. Just when they most want to be a calm and effective advocate for their loved one, they don’t know how to navigate in this unfamiliar world. With this booklet as their guide, they will be able to act compassionately and in the best interest of their friend or relative. These writers clarify and make sense of a very difficult time.

– Gail Simpson

Former Executive Director, Capital Mental Health Association, Victoria, BC

This is a wonderful piece of work … On behalf of the entire Roundtable Board, we compliment and thank you for this gift to Canada and Canadians. It flows from where all great gifts must flow — the heart.

– Bill Wilkerson

Co-founder, Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health

In the average Canadian company a mental health disorder afflicts one to three employees in ten. This authoritative guide will … provide practical advice for managers on how to cope with the effects of mental illness. Every employee should have a copy.

– Don Tapscott

Being There