CMHA Resources Available to Help During Mental Health Crisis

Wednesday, 16 March 2016 05:28

The CMHA wants everyone to know you are not alone and they are here to help if you or a loved one is having suicidal thoughts.

OXFORD COUNTY - Anyone suffering from mental health issues or depression in Oxford County should know they are not alone.

A number of resources are available for anyone who is going through a tough time or having suicidal thoughts. Crisis and Outreach Worker with the Canadian Mental Health Association in Woodstock Ashley Lehman tells Heart FM they have a 24 hour crisis line which is answered by social workers and nurses at 519-539-8342 or toll free at 1-877-339-8342.

"Another resource is the Woodstock Hospital - so if a person is thinking of suicide and has a plan for suicide they are able to attend the hospital and meet with one of their crisis workers there who will do an assessment."

Lehman says you can also visit the CMHA office in Woodstock during working hours Monday to Friday without an appointment. They also have walk in clinics in Woodstock, Tillsonburg, Ingersoll, Tavistock, and Norwich.

Another thing she talked about was looking for the warning signs of suicide.

"I always like to talk about four different categories which would be actions, thoughts, feelings and then physical symptoms. So for actions they might be doing things like withdrawing from their family, friends, school, or work, they might be abusing alcohol or drugs, they might be engaging in impulsive or reckless behaviours, they might be giving away some of their possessions, they might be engaging in self harming behaviours or we might see some extreme behaviour changes."

For feelings they might be feeling hopeless, sad, lonely, angry, desperate, or worthless and some of the physical signs might be a lack of interest in hygiene, disturbed sleeping, or a change or loss in appetite. For a complete list of the warning signs and resources available head to the CMHA web site.