Winnipeg Mom Says Despite Progress, More Mental Health Supports Needed - Beritaja

Albert Michael By: Albert Michael - Friday, 31 October 2025 07:20:44

Ten years aft the decease of her son, a Winnipeg mother is reflecting connected advancement being made successful intelligence wellness services successful Manitoba.

Bonnie Bricker’s son, Reid, had a agelong struggle pinch intelligence wellness challenges.

“About property 28 aliases 29, he made a really bully effort to extremity his life and coiled up successful Victoria Hospital,” Bricker told BERITAJA.

“As parents, we didn’t cognize who to call, really to amended ourselves… How do you talk to a boy who’s almost died doing this? We had nothing.”

Bonnie Bricker has been advocating for improvements to intelligence wellness services for years. Jordan Pearn / BERITAJA

In October 2015, Reid made 3 attempts connected his life successful a 10-day span. Each time, he ended up successful hospital. Each time, he was released while successful crisis.

“The past clip we were successful a awesome hospital, he was fto spell successful the mediate of the night. And that was the past clip that anybody saw him,” Bricker said.

“We each cognize being unsocial erstwhile you’re suffering from suicidal ideation is the worst point successful the world, because you consciousness truthful hopeless anyways, and now you’ve backed yourself successful this area and the only measurement retired of that corner, if you don’t fto personification thief you, is disconnected the planet.”

Since then, Bricker has been pushing for changes to intelligence wellness services successful Manitoba. Reid’s passing resulted successful caller authorities that saw changes to the Personal Health Information Act, which would let a aesculapian master to scope retired to a patient’s strategy of attraction if superior harm was a anticipation to the diligent aliases others.

“I cognize arsenic a parent, each clip Reid went to the emergency department, I felt, ‘Finally personification is going to perceive to him, yet personification is going to thief him.’ And it grounded him. Every. Single. Time,” Bricker said.

“Because they underestimated him. If they had talked to me, I would person fixed them accusation that he wouldn’t person fixed them.”

Bricker says intelligence wellness services person evolved successful the past decade, and location are now resources successful spot that Reid didn’t person entree to a decade ago, including a adjacent support programme done Peer Connections Manitoba that allows group pinch lived acquisition to thief group successful situation successful organization and objective settings.

“Peer supporters, they don’t spell to schoolhouse to study what they do. They spell done difficult things,” said Adam Milne, the adjacent services head astatine Peer Connections Manitoba.

“So personification who comes successful and gets to talk to personification who’s been done thing difficult doesn’t consciousness isolated successful what they’re doing, doesn’t consciousness isolated successful their journey.”

Peer Connections Manitoba besides launched the Reid Bricker Mental Wellness Fund to summation the readiness of intelligence wellness supports successful Manitoba.

“An ounce of prevention is worthy a lb of cure, and the further we are capable to thief group and spell alongside their journey, the amended disconnected we each are,” said Monique Levesque-Pharoah, the head of improvement pinch Peer Connections Manitoba.

Bricker says while advancement is being made, location is still a agelong measurement to go, arsenic intelligence wellness services stay mostly underfunded successful Manitoba.

She says she continues to stock her son’s communicative successful hopes of helping others stepping a akin way that Reid erstwhile walked.

“Mental wellness started to really evolve,” Bricker said.

“You would ne'er perceive personification astatine a edifice talking about intelligence health, but now you do. You would ne'er perceive personification saying, ‘my kid is suicidal’ because of the shame and the distortion and the cognition of really that personification is and that they’re damaged. That is slow going away.”

If you aliases personification you cognize is reasoning about suicide, thief is disposable 24 hours a day. Call aliases matter 988.

&copy 2025 BERITAJA, a section of Corus Entertainment Inc.


you are at the end of the news article with the title:

"Winnipeg Mom Says Despite Progress, More Mental Health Supports Needed - Beritaja"


Editor’s Note: If you’re looking for emergency gear, warm clothing, or household essentials to stay prepared, check out the wide range of options available on Amazon.

*This link uses the Amazon SiteStripe affiliate program. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.







Please read other interesting content from Beritaja.com at Google News and Whatsapp Channel!