'I wanted my son to live': Inuk lawyer leaves Nunavut to treat teenage son's PTSD and depression

MandySammurtoksaidit all started when herson began toself-harmlast summer.

The 15-year-old from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut,started having suicidal thoughts. Then came the nightmares. Often unable to sleep, he'dget up in the middle of the night, pacing.

A few months later, he was placed in an emergency psychiatric ward in Winnipeg for more than aweek, on the referral of a mental health worker in the community. This was after he spent time talking with a school counsellor, with no improvement.

Sammurtok'ssonwasdiagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and depression and sent home. They were promised afollowup appointment, but that never happened.

That's when Sammurtokrealized she had to leave her home in Nunavut the place most in need of mental health services in all of Canada to make sure her son would survive.

"I wanted my son to live, and...Nunavutcouldn't help me do that."

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A crisis with few solutions

In2015,Nunavut'spremier declared suicide a crisis in the territory. Inuit inNunavuttake their own lives at a rate nearly 10 times higher than the average in other regions of Canada.A 2012 study from Statistics Canada found nearly a quarter of Inuit have had suicidal thoughts at one point in their lives.

Sammurtok'sfamily leftNunavutin September. They've been in Winnipeg ever since, where her son is receiving regular care from mental health specialists.

Although he's currently not in school because his illness is triggered by loud noises, he's taking online courses.Sammurtoksaidshe's working with a school to help him get back to class in September.

Meanwhile, he's actively participating in sports and recreation such as badminton a sport that he's learned to love as a child.

"That really helps him release some of his anxiety. And that's not something that he had back inNunavut," saidSammurtok.

'Very poor services available'

Sammurtokwas aware of gaps in the systemlongbefore her son was diagnosed.

"When I was a defence lawyer, a number of my clients suffered from mental health issues, and there were very poor services available," she said, explaining that she often found her charged clients had "cried out for help" prior to arriving at her desk.

"The problem with this is that that individual had to get a criminal record in order to receive the help they needed."

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Donna Adams is the chair for Rankin Inlet's District Education Authorityand chair for Coalition of Nunavut District Education Authorities.

Just imagine you work that hard to become a prominent professional, only to realize you have to let it go because you love your child.- Donna Adams

Adams said Sammurtok's situation was "definitely not the first and last."

"We need to go south, out of our homes, out of our communities for any kind of specialized assistance such as mental illness, such as disabilities," said Adams, who's also worked with Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services.

"We need those specialized professionals in the communities, and facilities to follow them," said Adams.

The"number one resource going for us," Adams said, isteaching youth to engage intraditional activities to helpovercome mental illnesses, but resources are lacking.

Sammurtokechoes that idea.

"He was most at peace when he was out on the land," she saidof her son.

CBC News reached out to the Government ofNunavutfor comment onSammurtok'ssituation but didn't receive a response.

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'Nothing to go back to'

Sammurtok'sdecision came with a pricetag:her job.

Since 2009, she'sworked as a lawyer for the Government ofNunavut, theKivalliqInuit Association and as a criminal defence lawyer.

She wasone of a handful of Inuit lawyers in a territory that's been working hard to increase its Inuitworkforce,especially in the justice system.

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"That didn't have to happen," she said. "We should be able to be home. I should be able to work and my son should be able to get help."

Sammurtok wants to practice law again, and is looking for law-related work in Manitoba. But it's difficult, she said.

"I was working inNunavutto help Inuit, but I have nothing to go back to right now," saidSammurtok.

"A mother will do just about anything for her child," said Adams, who's also a mother and grandmother in Rankin Inlet.

"Just imagine you work that hard to become a prominent professional, only to realize you have to let it go because you love your child, and you'll do anything for your child."

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