When someone is admitted to hospital for a mental health crisis, families are often told: “We can’t share patient information.” But is privacy legislation really the barrier it’s made out to be?

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore the tension between confidentiality and family involvement in care, and why culture, not the law, may be keeping loved ones in the dark.

Host Faydra Aldridge is joined by Monica, a parent who shares her lived experience navigating the system, and psychiatrist Dr. Richard O’Reilly, who unpacks what Canadian privacy laws actually allow, and why they’re so often misunderstood. It’s a candid conversation about advocacy, accountability, and the vital role families can play in recovery.

Timecodes:
(01:05) Legal representation and challenges accessing medical information
(02:40) Resilience, compassion, and vulnerability during mental illness
(04:01) Being excluded from care during early hospitalizations
(06:44) Gaps in medical records and sharing collateral information
(08:10) Limits of Section 9 and Section 7 representation agreements
(10:00) Family’s role in preventing adverse medication reactions
(12:27) Anosognosia and early intervention challenges
(14:04) Capacity assessment issues in Section 9 agreements
(16:23) Recommendations for improving the mental health system
(18:16) Experiences of involuntary hospitalization and need for support
(21:47) Gaps between families and care teams
(23:18) Expert explains privacy laws and clinician practices
(29:42) Family involvement improves patient outcomes
(30:11) Solutions: training, program inclusion, and fighting stigma

Resources:
- Full video from FASMI and Dr O'Rielly