CHAT File photo

By Teagan Rasche

Mental health and the holidays: resources are available

Dec 10, 2021 | 4:53 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Lights go up and families come together during this time of year.

December can be a cheerful month but also a tough one.

“Christmas can be a really difficult time of year for people,” local counsellor Rod Dorn said. “It can be a source of stress and trigger a lot of memories for people. But it also can be a time of happiness and connection to people.”

Dorn knows the holiday season can be a struggle and come with more stress. He says some people turn to alcohol and drugs to cope.

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The Medicine Hat Police Service feels the effects of this.

“It is a difficult time,” Insp. Brent Secondiak said. “We see an increased rate in the number of calls for service for health concerns as well as addictions issues, consumption of alcohol and drugs.”

Secondiak says the police are expecting more than 100 mental health calls this month and he recommends moderating alcohol consumption and avoiding drugs.

Secondiak says 911 is always available in times of crisis, but so is 211, a national line that connects people with programs or services that can help.

“It’s fairly new to the province and it’s out there and something that hopefully we can remember,” said Mark Walter, a recovery trainer with the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Walter says there may be fewer people available to help because of the holidays so you might have to take an alternative route for help like calling 211.

CMHA also has a new program called K.I.T. (Keep In Touch).

“It’s a program where if people are home or isolated or in a place they can’t get out, we have volunteers that can call them and they can be a listening ear,” Walter said.

There are also services available locally with The Inner Man Project Foundation. Co-founder Dylan Eckes says this time of year there’s seasonal depression, isolation and loneliness among other concerns.

“One of the things you see a lot of this time of year is financial hardships, people struggling with relationships, family issues, financial issues, that sort of thing,” Eckes said. “We try to help individuals find the resources they need within the city.”

COVID-19 can add additional stress to an already complicated time of year but having conversations and talking about it are good first steps.

“There are many agencies and many different avenues to search out addictions and mental health support and to speak to someone who is a professional might be a good choice,” Dorn said.

There is help available in our area for whatever your struggle may be.

Help available 24/7

• Alberta Wide – Mental Health Help Line 877-303-2642
• Canada Suicide Prevention Service 833-456-4566
• 211 Alberta is a helpline and online database of Alberta’s community and social services and is answered and updated by highly-trained specialists