The Saskatchewan chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is launching the CMHA’s BounceBack program in the province, thanks to a donation from Bell Let’s Talk.

BounceBack is a free, guided self help program aimed at helping people deal with their mental health issues.

Executive Director of CMHA Saskatchewan, Phyllis O’Connor says the program is especially needed right now.

“It’s aimed at adults and youth that are over 15 years old to manage things like low mood, mild to moderate depression, anxiety, stress,” said O’Connor. “Definitely stuff that we need with this pandemic.”

The funding from Bell Let’s Talk is part of the $5 million donated to Canadian mental health initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the donation, BounceBack was only available in B.C., Manitoba, and Ontario.

O’Connor says the pandemic has heightened the demand for mental health services, adding having to distance ourselves from others is against human nature.

“Humans are hardwired to need connection, and when we have that lack of connection, and we have that lack of control the pandemic has caused, it really does increase the anxiety and stress levels and depression levels in a lot of folks,” said O’Connor. “People with mental health problems, it makes them much worse, and the general public are beginning to feel this too.”

O’Connor says one concerning trend they’ve seen this year is an uptick in the number of serious mental health issues, culminating in what many mental health experts are calling a second pandemic.

“We see evidence in things like the uptick in substance abuse issues, relationship issues between people, things like marriage breakdowns, and although we can’t attribute it to COVID-19 for sure, we’re seeing an uptick in the number of suicides too,” said O’Connor. “So, it all kind of points to a serious mental health pandemic.”

Anyone interested in registering for the BounceBack program can visit the CMHA’s website.