As part of Mental Health Week, which runs from May 6 to 12, Projet collectif en inclusion à Montréal (PCEIM) seeks to shed light on how Quebec’s current approach to mental health—centered primarily on individual pathology—significantly contributes to the ongoing mental health crisis. The organization calls for a rethinking of this model, advocating for a relational and interactional perspective instead of the continued medicalization of emotional distress.
“We should understand mental health challenges—and mental health itself—as issues rooted in interactions, relationships, and collective dynamics, rather than viewing them as purely individual problems,” says David Castrillon, Executive Director of PCEIM.
PCEIM promotes the creation of spaces where people can engage in meaningful relationships and enriching interactions that meet their needs for identity, belonging, and mutual understanding. These environments welcome human distress without resorting to language or practices that often isolate individuals from their surroundings. They are intentionally designed to foster dialogue, learning, and collective creativity, helping individuals reintegrate into community life.
“We’ve observed that the medicalization of human reactions to social, economic, and relational stressors has led to an overconsumption of pharmacological treatments, which mask the real causes of distress. This trend is exacerbating the mental health crisis by failing to treat the real contributing factors,” he adds.
While it’s essential to recognize and validate people’s suffering, it is equally crucial to explore its underlying causes. PCEIM emphasizes that addressing the anxiety-inducing environments in which people live is a powerful way to reduce the overall demand for mental health services.
A Call to Action for Public Policy
PCEIM urges policy makers and mental health professionals to adopt and promote a collective approach to mental health, one that prioritizes an understanding of the interactions and relationships fostered within today’s socio-economic systems.
“We believe that by developing policies and interventions that address relational and contextual dimensions, we can begin to address the mental health crisis in a more effective and humane way. This also means choosing a different vocabulary when speaking about mental health,” continues Castrillon.
PCEIM projects include Libre Espace, Café des Voisins, Épicerie Solidaire de Rosemont, La Pélicantine, Clinique d’Impôts de Rosemont, as well as spaces for mobilization, creation and discussion.
