Montreal doctor who lost brother to suicide calls for more mental health funding

A Montreal doctor is speaking out after she lost her brother to suicide in April. She says he tried to check himself into a psych ward, but never made it, after an extended wait in the emergency room.

Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide and suicidal ideation. Take care when reading.

A Montreal doctor is speaking out after she lost her brother to suicide in April. She says he tried to check himself into a psych ward, but never made it, after an extended wait in the emergency room.

Her story comes as mental health specialists raise alarms over barriers to entry in Quebec psychological care. Wait times have extended in recent years, and experts say more people are in need of help in a hangover from the pandemic.

"Dan was an incredibly intelligent, witty guy, super outgoing," said Dori Shiff, describing her brother, Dan Shiff. "He loved riding motorcycles. He was a pilot, loved to travel, and really had such a lust for life."

He also struggled with severe depression and addiction issues. She said that he was getting help from a psychiatrist, but it got so bad that he developed suicidal ideation.

She says he tried to check himself into a psych ward in Montreal in early April but that when he arrived at the ER, it was packed.

"Unfortunately, there were no beds available in the psych unit. He was in emergency for almost two weeks," Shiff told CTV News. "He was just feeling kind of hopeless and decided he wasn't feeling suicidal anymore.