“I wanted to speak up about mental illness, because too many people suffer in silence. Thanks to your generosity, new mental health therapies and treatments are being developed.”
Innovative approaches to treating mental illness
Before he became a peer helper and an inspiring voice for mental health, Gabriel Julien went through hell. At a young age, not knowing that he was suffering from bipolar disorder, Gabriel slipped into drug and alcohol addiction. He wasn’t diagnosed until age 27.
“My first psychotic episode was filmed and broadcast on a reality show. My second brush with psychosis, two years later, brought me to the CHUM’s Clinique JAP.”
The Jeunes Adultes Psychotiques (JAP) clinic was founded in 1999 by Dr. Béatrice Granger with a small team of occupational therapists and social workers. The clinic offers early, intensive treatment and multidisciplinary care for young adults who have experienced psychosis. This innovative approach was developed in the early 1990s in Australia and has spread all over the world. Over the years, the JAP clinic has expanded and now offers services to over 300 patients each year.
“The five years of treatment I got from the clinic were truly life-changing. They have a dynamic treatment team and a comforting care setting. Dr. Amal Abdel Baki, my psychiatrist, had a particularly profound impact on me.”
Gabriel is now an active member of the community and is a great supporter of the CHUM and the cause of mental health. In addition to being a peer helper and a patient partner, he gives talks, organizes marches and leads multiple personal initiatives to raise public awareness about mental illness.
“I’ve made mental health my life’s mission. I want to give back for the help I got when I needed it most and pave a path for other peer helpers. Early, intensive professional support can be key to recovery, but so is finding positive role models to identify with.”
Acting faster than mental illness means treating patients like Gabriel from the first signs of distress, with innovative treatment options that have been proven to work. With your support for the CHUM, this dream is becoming a reality.
