Sherazi: How cutting mental health services hurts us all

There's more pressure on our police, and on our emergency services, when those with mental health challenges aren't properly helped.

Published Sep 10, 2024  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

The coffin of a seven-year-old Southport stabbing victim is carried at the end of her funeral in Birkdale, near Southport, northwestern England, on Aug. 23, 2024. Photo by PETER POWELL /AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

It has been just over a month since a tragic knife attack took place in Southport, England, a town of about 95,000 situated between Blackpool and Liverpool. Three children, attending a a Taylor Swift–themed event, were killed, and 10 people were injured, most of them also children. Misinformation about the attacker prompted rioting in several places, including damage to a mosque.

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With all the discussions held subsequently on refugees, illegal immigrants, rioters, the far right and even multiculturalism, little has actually been shared about the perpetrator of the Southport stabbings, and why he committed the crime to begin with. Although authorities were quick to rule out terrorism, what viable reason is there for someone to go on a violent rampage? Preservation of life, one’s own and the lives of others should come naturally to us, and yet some elements of society seem to struggle.

One can only conclude that mental health played its part in the tragedy.  The accused, Axel Rudakubana, was born in Cardiff, Wales, but we know little about him. He attended school in Merseyside and grew up there. Although parts of his childhood sound wholesome — he was part of a musical theatre group — other parts are vague. He was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, and had become somewhat of a recluse, described as “unwilling to leave the house and communicate with family for a period of time.”

Rudakubana’s generation grew up under 14 years of austerity in the United Kingdom under the Conservative government. Growing up in uncertain times — uncertainty about employment with high costs of living — can cause immense stress. Conservative austerity measures in the United Kingdom created a mental health crisis, according to one political commentator, and one in five young people missed school or work because of mental health in 2023. Young people who are from underprivileged backgrounds are most at risk, because they don’t have the means at home to be bailed out of their problems.

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Neurodivergent young people such as Rudakubana (who differ in mental or neurological function from regular kids) are even less likely to thrive in the real world. The U.K.’s Department of Education released a report showing suspensions and expulsions are at an all-time high. Challenging behaviour is often cited. Teachers and educators cannot tackle exceptional situations in a silo.

Here in Ottawa, we are no stranger to tragic crimes involving youth.  In March, a 19-year-old young man stabbed six members of a household in Barrhaven. Once again, information is sparse on his motive, but we would not be wrong to wonder whether mental health issues played a role in his behaviour, ultimately leading to him taking the lives of six innocent souls, with one survivor to mourn them.  Although the federal government announced a $500-million investment in mental health for five years, it will be up to the provinces to take full advantage of it. In Ontario, the child and youth mental health waitlist has doubled, and cuts have been made in the billions.

Slashing mental health supports does not just impact the young people involved directly; it impacts us all. Cuts to mental health supports result in more pressure on our police services, more pressure on our emergency services. The results of continuous cutbacks portray a bleak picture where young people who really need the help are not getting the crucial support in time.

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As we have seen from Southport, Barrhaven and other incidents, the results are tragic, and while discussions about immigration, racism and the role that social media plays in society are really important, we cannot and should not turn a blind eye to the impact that mental health cuts play in violent crimes. Instead of turning up our noses and rejecting the rotten fruit, perhaps it’s time we looked at the root of the problem and did something about it?

Originally from the United Kingdom, Aisha Sherazi is an Ottawa based writer and educator.

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