Step One

Whenever starting something new, you are always told to start at step one. The first step to beating mental illness and addiction is admitting you have a problem.

I admit I have had addictions to morphine and morphine related drugs in the past; as little as one week ago.

I admit that I have suffered from anxiety and depression since I was 12 years old. I admit I have been dealing with PTSD and OCD since I was 18.

The hardest part? Admitting I have a Type-A personality and feel the need to be in control of situations I am in.

Tuesday was the first day my parents and I met with a case worker at the Homewood. I was able to admit these things to myself, my case worker, and my parents. There were other traumatic experiences I was able to speak about as well. We were about to get a general tour of the centre and were able to see the beautiful grounds!

Now, it is definitely not easy to be accepted into the Homewood. I went to the Emergency Department Tuesday night to see if I could get admitted through there. I met with a nurse, social worker, and psychiatrist from the Homewood. I had a full assessment where the psychiatrist determined that I was not at danger to myself or those around me. I was given a referral letter to have my doctor fill out the next day.

The hardest part is that out of the 80 beds the Homewood provides, only four are OHIP funded. The other beds, are around $330 per night. There is a house on the grounds called The Residence; these rooms start at about $1,300 per night.

My doctor was able to fill out and fax off the form to the Homewood on Wednesday afternoon. We are really hoping that I will be able to get a bed in the next week or two. Today, I was put in a stressful situation I should of never been put in due to my sensitive mental state at the moment.

As I continue to travel down this road to stabilizing my mental health, I will let everyone know the steps toward it. Someone might find this helpful one day if they find themselves in a situation similar to mine.

Talk soon!