Neil's Story

My name is Neil McQuaid. I am an interesting hybrid. An MBA who is also a consumer survivor – a person who has survived the mental health system.

I had a bad speech impediment as a youth and took a course with former Mayor William Dennison for my speech problems. I have come to the conclusion that you have to treat speech impediments half psychologically and half mechanically.

I pushed myself as a kid to succeed and I read everything I could about leaders like John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Later I studied History at the University of Western Ontario and took my MBA at the University of Windsor.

I have had an addiction to alcohol since 1979. I was also immature and could not get or keep a position that was compatible with my education and training. I began to have feelings of paranoia and I could not function at work. My mind raced and I experienced a lot of mental turmoil. Because of this I did three years of work as volunteer at the Canadian Institute of Religion and Gerontology, the Children's AID Society and the John Howard Society. I also worked on and off during this time as a security guard.

In 1981 I was placed in a psychiatric boarding house. I could not function and decided to sit back and observe people. I was a loner and realized the truth in the words of the Barbra Streisand song which says: “people who need people are the luckiest people in the world.” I also figured out that my mental health problems came from having too many crises at the same time.

Ten years later, I moved into St. Jude's Community Homes. Being in supportive housing has helped me a lot. I now live in a community where I can manage and can do the necessary things to function in society. This has increased my self esteem and I feel secure knowing that I have a place of my own. I have also learned skills and have served and serve on the Board of Directors of 3 mental health organizations. Before St. Jude's I had been in and out of mental hospitals and AA groups more than a half a dozen times. Since 1992, I have not been hospitalized and I have stayed sober. I have also decided that I must provide service and help to the marginalized.

I now work at A-Way which is a courier service staffed and run by consumers like me. I have worked there for two years and this has been the first job that I've held in 10 years. A-Way has given me a chance and I appreciate that. Having a casesupport worker has also been an important part of my comeback.

About twenty years ago, Richard Needham wrote an article in the Globe and Mail which said that the best people make it to the top. That has not been my impression. I find that the best people are also the many compassionate and sensitive people at the bottom.

Thank You.