Windsor mother shares the strain of son's opioid addiction

A Windsor woman isfearful her son will die in the streetif he doesn't get the mental health and addiction treatment he needs, but finding help has been a struggle so far.

CherylBondysaid her 26-year-old son is hooked onopioidsand started showing signs of mental illness about a year ago.

"He's been beat up. He's been through a lot," she explained."He was seeing a lot of weird things. He would look at me and say, 'I see devils in your eyes and you're not my real mother.'"

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Bondysaid her son, whose name is not being used to protect his identity,has been through the mental health ward at Windsor Regional Hospital several times only to be sent home.

She fears taking care of himbecause his drug addiction could lead to violent tendencies.

"What are we going to do with him?"Bondyasked. "We're trying to stay back because we're not professionals, but the professionals aren't really there to help us, so our hands are tied."

Tough time finding help

The family hastried to use the services of HotelDieu-GraceHealthcare's Transitional Stability Centre, butBondysaid the centre required the name of a family doctor before her son could be seen so he couldn't be helped.

Manager of integrated mental health services Patricia Thomas, said the centre onOuelletteAvenue refers people to different services depending on their needs.

Despite Bondy's experience, clients can just walk in without any referrals or family doctors and be given help, she added.

"We encourage them to walk in. No appointments necessary. We're open from 8 a.m.to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday," said Thomas.

But, she admits, some people can "fall through the cracks" while waiting for services.

"If there's a wait list for services and if they're not following through themselves with services it may look like they've fallen between the cracks," she explained.

Thomas urged patients to return to the centre for help if they aren't being helped by theagencies they've been directedto.

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Bondy, who has taken time off work because of depression,said her son'sstruggle has put strain on the entire family, but their difficulties don't compare to the fears she has for his future.

"My greatest fear is, he's going to be dead. Either he's going to commit suicide, or freeze out in the cold," she said. "He's been through so much."