Despite these setbacks and his busy job, the lifelong Thorold resident and father of three has volunteered on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) for the past three years.
According to LeeAnn Smith, his departed friend’s mom, “Matt told me it was his goal to work toward dismantling the stigma so that people like Grant would come forward when they are suffering from depression.”
LeeAnn told ThoroldToday: “We do not shy away from talking about Grant or suicide; otherwise we will never break the stigma.”
On numerous occasions, she spoke publicly about depression at Brock University and across Niagara, and helped train volunteers for Victim Services Niagara.
Offering peer counselling to other parents who lost a child to suicide, “I never presented myself as an expert at any of these talks,” she said. “My goal was to show families that as devastating as this is to your life, if we can still be standing after 12 years and find joy, so could they. I think Matt is a wonderful example for young people; you are not too young and never too busy to help a cause you believe in.”
Encouraged by Stuart Dorricott, a former President of the CMHA Niagara Board, and Mahler's work colleague and mentor, “I think internally I had known for a few years that strengthening mental health and wellness in my community was something I cared about, and I was looking for a way to positively contribute, he explained.
This year, he’s assumed additional responsibilities as Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee. Describing the role as “Very much governance/strategic in nature (as opposed to operational–which is, of course, handled by the wonderful CMHA Niagara Staff),” Mahler said, “I felt like I could contribute in a meaningful way, given my background in corporate banking/risk management.”
Mahler calls RBC staff “very supportive of my board work and strengthening mental health in general.”
He and his wife Kristie have three daughters—Rory, age four, Zoey, two, and Payton, six months. Somehow, Matt still finds time to coach Track and Field at Denis Morris High School.
Both Mahler and LeeAnn Smith emphasize the need to call for help when in crisis.
The best way to help or encourage loved ones suffering with mental health issues, advised Mahler, is by “Active listening, empathy, and encouragement to make that first call to seek support. Normalizing that we all experience challenges with our mental health, nobody needs to feel alone with their concerns, and that there is hope for recovery is helpful … Try and avoid being dismissive or minimizing someone’s concerns, as none of us are immune to these challenges and concerns, and we all experience life’s hills and valleys differently ...”
In Niagara, a person can seek help for mental health concerns through a primary care physician or a health service provider.
“The best first step to get information about and connection to mental health and addictions services in Niagara is to call the Mental Health and Addictions Access Line,” at 1-866-550-5205.
The 24-7 Access Line provides confidential support, information and referrals to more than 100 services available in Niagara.
CMHA Niagara offers a continuum of mental health services to individuals 16 years and older to reach their short- and long-term mental health goals including: crisis intervention and support, case management, housing and employment.
And while the good news is that “Definitely, CMHA Niagara has experienced a decrease in stigma regarding mental wellness and illness, even prior to the pandemic,” noted Mahler, COVID-19 has left a devastating path of depression, anxiety, and other forms of mental illness in its wake.
A provincial awareness and advocacy campaign released on March 9, 2021 indicates that 74 per cent of Ontarians are experiencing increased mental health and addiction challenges, and there has been a 35-40 per cent increase in overdose rates and opioid-related deaths since COVID-19 started, according to Ontario’s Chief Coroner.
In 2019, (Pre-Pandemic), 2.5 per cent of Canadians reported having suicidal thoughts (Statistics Canada); by May, 2020, in a CMHA survey, 6.4 per cent of participants answered “Yes” to having thoughts of suicide. By October, 2020, a follow-up survey saw a 10 per cent increase among those participants.
Half of Ontario’s children and youth are at risk of having mental health issues, while 42 per cent of Ontario adults have increased substance use or gambling, 1,500 people have died from overdose, and Ontario has seen 4,500 mental health and substance misuse-related Emergency Department visits in a single week in 2021.
“We do not have specific Niagara related numbers at this time, but can assume that the provincial data is reflective of what we can expect is happening locally for our community,” noted Mahler. “Specific to CMHA Niagara’s 24/7 crisis line, for example, we saw a drastic increase in calls" (2018/2019: 8,990 crisis calls; 2019/2020: 14,044 crisis calls; 2020/2021: 21,895 crisis calls—as of Feb. 28, 2021).
Unfortunately, however, that “often results in a strain of resources as the investment in expanding services available has not kept pace with the increased requests for service as individuals become more comfortable in seeking support. It is inspiring to see the increase in individuals reaching out for support, and the challenge is making sure that the services are available when requested, which brings attention to the need for continued advocacy, as well as fundraising initiatives by service providers.”
