Winnipeg Mother Calls for Urgent Mental Health Support Reforms

UPDATE: A Winnipeg mother is urgently calling for enhanced mental health support in Manitoba, highlighting the struggles her son faced before his tragic death. Bonnie Bricker reflects on the progress made in mental health services over the past decade but insists significant gaps still remain.

Just ten years after the loss of her son, Reid Bricker, who battled severe mental health issues, Bricker shared her painful journey during an interview with Global News. She recounts Reid’s struggles, including a life-threatening attempt at age 28 that led to his hospitalization at Victoria Hospital. “We had nothing,” she stated, recalling the desperate need for guidance during those dark times.

In a shocking revelation, Bricker disclosed that Reid made three suicide attempts in just ten days in October 2015. Each time, despite being in crisis, he was released from the hospital. “The last time we were in a major hospital, he was let go in the middle of the night. And that was the last time that anybody saw him,” she lamented.

Bricker has since become an advocate for crucial changes in mental health services. Her son’s death spurred the introduction of new legislation that improved the Personal Health Information Act, allowing medical professionals to contact a patient’s support system when serious harm is possible. “Every time Reid went to the emergency department, I felt, ‘Finally someone is going to listen to him,’” Bricker expressed, underscoring the systemic failures that led to Reid’s demise.

While Bricker acknowledges that mental health services in Manitoba have evolved, she emphasizes that they remain underfunded and insufficient. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” stated Monique Levesque-Pharoah, director of development at Peer Connections Manitoba, which recently launched the Reid Bricker Mental Wellness Fund to support mental health initiatives.

The organization aims to bridge the gap by offering resources that were unavailable a decade ago, including a peer support program that connects individuals with lived experiences to those in crisis. “Peer supporters don’t go to school to learn what they do. They go through hard things,” said Adam Milne, peer services director at Peer Connections Manitoba.

Bricker continues to share her son’s story, hoping to inspire others facing similar challenges. “Mental health started to really evolve. You would never hear somebody at a restaurant talking about mental health, but now you do,” she noted, highlighting a growing awareness and destigmatization surrounding mental health issues.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available 24 hours a day. Call or text 988 for immediate support.

As conversations about mental health become more prevalent, Bricker’s advocacy underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in Manitoba’s mental health system. The fight for better resources and support continues, with the hope of preventing future tragedies.