Parents of teen with mental illnesses say 'broken' N.L. health system has failed them

About 70 per cent of mental illnesses start during childhood and adolescence, according to the Mental Health Commission of Canada. (Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock)

WARNING: This story contains details of suicidal ideation.

On a windy day in October, a mother and father sat on a park bench on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, frustrated and exhausted.

At only 13, their daughter is dealing with several mental illnesses. But instead of being admitted to a residential treatment facility, the girl is being failed, her parents say.

“This system is broken. It is utterly broken,” the mother said.

CBC News has agreed not to identify