Abhishek Gupta is a medical sub-intern with CAMH, who graduated from Windsor University School of Medicine.
Hear Ye, Hear Ye
A song of mental health for all,
In dark times and vanishing grace,
Give light and cushion a fall,
Where suffering is hidden,
And discourse forbidden,
Now, to change rules unwritten,
I pray, lend your ears to listen!
Where actions and mood were once controlled,
Now, fits of mania, blues, highs and lows,
Slightest slight makes tears show
Malaise so deep, reactions slow
Doves spring claws o’er jests
Lions becalmed to brooding nests
Eloquent orators now rambling pests
Indecent thoughts openly professed,
Dignity stripped and made to divest,
Dangerous Illusions, delusions, thoughts suggest,
In family and friends, see enemies abreast,
Life filled with distress
Crazed, mad, fool, lazy, insane
Curses all, filled with disdain
See behind mask,
The shrouded pain
If you cannot help, curse not!
For words do burn and strain
In the end, hope drained,
A being shamed
For no cause but invisible ail
Without hope or help to sustain,
Only recourse to watch life wane,
Take one’s life, end silent bane
So for God’s sake, be humane!
To help recover and sanity retain,
The spiral of despair to contain,
Start with words! Acid tongue to restrain,
From illegal drugs, guns and drink, abstain.
Offer hope with help to share the pain,
Without stigma, curse or any blame,
Let the afflicted speak their tale,
Impulses once again to chain,
Coping skills to retrain,
Speech purified from profane,
Life, hope and will to finally regain.
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Mental Health is health. By opening the lines of communication to mature conversation, individuals, even healthcare professionals, can see the subtle changes in behaviour before it is too late. To provide hope and help to all is the cornerstone of medicine, especially in crisis situations.