Re: The Legacy Of A Beloved Son, June 12

Thank you for printing the extraordinary story about Ross Allan and family and the results of the inquest. Mental Health Issues such as this are very important to our community and your newspaper is helping to break the unnecessary stigma of mental health. Thank you also for providing a venue to post my response.

Also posted below is heads up information regarding the groundbreaking work of the Mental Health Commission of Canada to produce a data base of peer to peer programs across Canada which will become a valuable resource for our community to find the services they need.

Diane Matier, resident of Surrey, Recovery International Peer Group Leader

My heart and soul goes out to anyone who has a loved one suffering with mental illness. I know from experience that the family suffers too as they try to get appropriate help to prevent suicide, then appropriate treatment and safe care followed by a long term plan for stability. It is a long and painful process in which professionals & family must work together to achieve quality results for those who cannot make healthy decision during their illness.

Mental Illness is treatable and just like any other illness and should not carry the burden of stigma that it does. I applaud all people like the Allens for telling us about Ross, the newspaper for printing the story and organizations like Abraham Low Self Help Systems http://www.lowselfhelpsystems.org that are changing people's attitudes about mental illness as well as and giving people back their lives by providing free peer to peer self help aftercare.

There are three of these Recovery International meetings in Surrey, Langley and White Rock. Any adult can attend to learn the cognitive behaviour method that allows members to live peaceful and productive lives. It is also helpful for the caring family to learn these tools so that they can better communicate with the person they are caring for and for their own well being. It is well documented that caregivers themselves begin to suffer with nervous symptoms. I have experienced this also and this group has helped me a great deal to regain and maintain my mental health.

To this date our medical system has not given enough emphasis on peer to peer self help but hopefully through the Mental Health Commission of Canada http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/english/pages/default.aspx study "Making the case for peer support", http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/Pages/ServiceSystem.aspx

in progress, the importance and effectiveness of peer support will be acknowledged and a framework for an improved mental health strategy for Canada will be achieved.

Dear Kim and Lynn, Thank you so much for your courage to see this ordeal through and share your story. I am sure that Ross is smiling at you now just thinking of the good that will come from the event. My sincere condolences to you both.

THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION (MHCC)

About the Project- the MHC of Canada is funding this project to inform provincial policy makers, funders and other stakeholders for the value of mental heal peer support, and to give them guidance on how to strengthen peer support in their respective provinces. A group of international consultants with lived experience are gathering the information needed. The report will describe peer support activities across Canada and make recommendations on the integration of peer support into provincial and territorial mental health systems. The finding will also inform the MHCC Mental Health Strategy for Canada and other MHCC initiatives.

The investigation will consider the factors that influence the situation of peer support across Canada. Factors internal to peer support initiatives include values, benefits, governance, management, delivery and membership. External factors include legislation, policy, funding as well as mental health cultures and attitudes. The consultants are seeking contact with peer support initiatives throughout Canada.