U of O students demand better mental health services amid deaths

There are growing calls from University of Ottawa students to increase mental health resources on campus in the wake of recent student deaths, including one over the weekend.

Jordan Gush, a third-year geology undergraduate student, started a petition in December after a studentdied by suicide. Since then, 28,000 people have signed the online letter demandingmore mental health services.

It is a big crisis, and it affects everybody.- Jordan Gush, University of Ottawa student

"The support is coming from not only students of University of Ottawa, it's coming from family and friends and people all over the place that are respecting and acknowledging that mental health issues here need to be addressed," Gush said.

"It is a big crisis, and it affects everybody."

• Students call for more mental health supports after death at U of O
• Youth suicide prevention program aims to expand across Canada

Gush said she wanted to act in part because she was disappointed in the university's counselling services especially once she was able to get help privately from a mental health professional.

"I think it's really important to have a mental health professional build a relationship with their patients," she said.

"To not have that here is a really big hole in their mental health services."

Need help? Here are some mental health resources:

• Association qubcoise de prvention du suicide: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553).
• Suicide Prevention Ottawa: 613-238-3311.

Gush said she wants students at the University of Ottawa to have easier access to those servicesand for faculty and staff to be trained to deal with mental health issues sensitively.

"You can't go in thinking you'll be getting help and then coming out having to wait months and months."

Watch | WhyJordan Gush started a petition:

Its bringing us together to know that we all want action

5 years ago

Duration 0:46

Third-year University of Ottawa student Jordan Gush started a petition in December to push for more mental health services on campus after a student died by suicide. It has since gotten almost 28,000 signatures.

Gush said she was heartened to hear university president Jacques Frmont addressed the situation as a "crisis" at a special news conference Tuesday butshesaidthose words must lead to action.

University hiring more counsellors

Frmont addressed the weekend deathof a student, though he did not identify the individual or confirm the cause of death, and the disappearance of another, Jonathan Blanchette.

"It is a crisis. It is a challengean enormous challenge,"Frmontsaid. "If there was a simple solution, I swear to God,we would implement it tomorrow morning."

He said the university is in the process of implementing the recommendations of the campus action group, which presented areport on mental health and wellnessto the university's board of governors last month.

The university will also be hiring six additional counsellors to reduce wait times, he said.

'Widespread' issue on campuses

The Canadian Federation ofStudents (CFS) is running a campaign to improve mental health services at universities.

"It's definitely widespread. It's definitely a crisis," said Sofia Descalzi, the organization's chairperson.

The CFS said university administrators need to help reduce wait times, provide services in multiple languages and include anti-oppression training in their mental health services.

Watch | University of Ottawa students say wait times are too long:

University of Ottawa students call for better mental health services

5 years ago

Duration 1:10

Several students at the University of Ottawa say the wait list is too long for on-campus counselling and are calling on the school to be proactive when it comes to mental health.

Descalzi said sometimes student unions and student groups try to fill the gap.

"Student unions are advocating for better procedures, sometimes picking up the slack, introducing their own workshops on mental health, but it's definitely a responsibility that has to be taken from post-secondary institutions administrations as well," shesaid.

Earlier in 2019, U of O studentsvoted to increase their feesto cover the cost of additional counselling services.