I’m already not liking some of the “safe guards” that seem to be in place. See, as MAiD was never legalized for mental health issues agencies such as Vancouver Coastal Health were never able to give me any information on MAiD for reasons of mental health.
They could give me all of the information I needed to understand the procedure such as where I could undergo the procedure. The drugs involved with the procedure. What I would potentially feel during the procedure. And what would happen to my body after the procedure.
But what they could never give me information on was how a person with mental illness would apply to the program.
So when Canadian Senator states that “People who request & receive approval for MAID MD-SUMC will have received a substantial amount of different kinds of mental health care for a long time and found that nothing could alleviate their intolerable suffering.” this causes me great concern.
In the aftermath of being sexually abused on Canadian Forces Base Namao for 1-1/2 years I was placed into the care of Canadian Armed Forces social worker Captain Terry Totzke.
In November of 1980 I was diagnosed as suffering from major depression, severe anxiety, haphephobia. It was noted that I was terrified of being killed by my father.
Yet, I never received help with these issues.
Instead Captain Totzke was adamant that I had a mental illness called “homosexuality”. I receive 2-1/2 years of conversion therapy for this “illness”.
Even when Alberta Social Services were called in to deal with my brother and I, Captain Totzke still wouldn’t allow me to receive treatment for my issues.
Even when my issues had become so bad that my civilian social workers said that I required immediate psychiatric institutionalization, Captain Totzke wouldn’t comply.
At home, things were not good. My father had a very hair trigger temper. And if Captain Totzke told master corporal Gill that his son’s only problem is that he’s a homosexual, you can imagine that Richard wasn’t too concerned about my issues.
In fact, Richard’s response to my depression and my anxiety or even my haphephobia was a back hand, a slap, the belt, no supper, etc.
In April of 1983 we suddenly, and without warning, moved from Canadian Forces Base Griesbach in Edmonton to Canadian Forces Base Downsview in Toronto. At the time my father told me that we were moving because the counsellors wanted to give me drugs to help me stop being sexually attracted to other boys. I would learn in 2011 that the actual truth was Captain Totzke was helping my father flee the jurisdiction of Alberta as Alberta Social Services wanted to remove me from the home and place me into either foster care or residential care.
I suffered my entire life from the demons of depression, anxiety, as well as gender and orientation issues.
I never sought help with these issues as my father and Captain Totzke had both drilled into my head that I was a homosexual and that I just loved to seek attention and that’s why I was acting the way I did.
It wouldn’t be until August of 2011 that I had discovered the truth. The truth that I had been unfairly blamed for what had occurred on Canadian Forces Base Namao and that I had suffered with major depression, severe anxiety, haphephobia, and a plethora of other mental health issues.
It’s not my fault that I never received treatment.
It’s not my fault that I never sought treatment.
Even when I became aware of these issues in August of 2011 whenever I tried to seek treatment counsellors were very confused as to why I had a military social worker and why my father never got me treatment.
I am hoping that in the end that bypasses are put into the M.A.i.D. legislation that allow for extenuating circumstances to be taken into consideration. I would really hate to be told that I don’t deserve to undergo M.A.i.D. due to the decisions that the Canadian Forces chain of command made when I was 8 years old.
Beeshive 