By Michael Blais CD
The ongoing restrictions inherent with pandemic counter measures, continues to adversely affect the mental health of Canadians. Being isolated for long periods of time has certainly already borne out repercussions, and it would seem this will only increase as the virus mutates and the infection rates continue to soar within our communities.
The COVID-19 situation has exacerbated the challenges for many who have been enduring heightened levels of discord as a consequence of being locked down alone, with their primary support elements either suspended or reduced in regularity.
The personal, human touch inherent with doctor’s appointments or organized peer support meetings is absent. For many veterans, audio/visual interrelationships orchestrated through an internet forum does not provide them the same level of relief and comfort.
Having fears for the well being of a mentally traumatized veteran experiencing a crisis during the pandemic can heighten anxieties for concerned family members and friends. This is particularly true when misgivings about alcohol and/or drug abuse, pharmaceutical addictions, erratic behaviour, self harm and/or fears of suicide are present.
Canada’s vast geographic disposition often precludes personal interventions, which as a consequence, leaves loved one’s and friends with no alternative but to reach out to some distant community emergency service to initiate a Wellness Check on the individual.
If one is fortuitous, the community will field a Crisis Rapid Response Team to deal with the crisis. Ontario has designed such a program to cope with mental health related 911 calls and due to the pandemic induced surge, recently increased funding to support an expansion of the program.
In partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association, this program acknowledges the futility of hospitalization or resorting to the justice system in addressing a mental health emergency. Distinct crisis resolution training is provided to selected law enforcement officers and once qualified they are teamed up with mental health professionals to participate in 12 hour shifts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The focus is on de-escalation with resolution without resorting to restraint, physical force, collateral criminal charges, incarceration or psychiatric internment at hospital. The Ontario program has so far proven to be very successful, having engaged with 612 distraught Ontarians over the past year. Three quarters of those individuals were provided mental health care or addiction resources without the need for hospitalization. Crisis de-escalation bereft of arrest or the use of force in order to restrain occurred over 80 percent of the time.
If one is not fortuitous… the response to your request for a wellness check may not result in the positive conclusion envisioned.
Police officers will be dispatched.
These officers may or may not be adequately trained in responding to a civilian mental health crisis let alone the protocols required to calm a traumatized combat veteran. Many of these law enforcement officers, having seen Rambo or other Hollywood endeavours wherein the stigma surrounding PTSD is perpetuated by portraying the traumatized veteran as being unstable, and also being capable of instant levels of ultra-violence, trained to kill, and possessing a deadly proficiency with weapons.
Such apprehension heightens levels of alarm which in turn fosters de escalation protocols being built on restraint instead of dialogue, incarceration or consignment to a psychiatric hospital instead of compassion and immediate mental health provisions or substance abuse addiction counselling/assistance. Any form of resistance inevitably results in criminal charges after the employment by police of varying levels of force (inclusive of tasers and firearms) as they deem fit.
One veteran, one standard!
National standards, inclusive of de-escalation/resolution protocols that directly pertain to calming a traumatized veteran are clearly required. Veterans Affairs Canada has the obligation to establish these standards. Ministerial leadership is crucial, particularly in respect to creating the appropriate mechanisms through consultation with their Mental Health Advisory and the recently established Centre of Excellence on PTSD.
Comprehensive guidelines for family and friends must be established and made public. Furthermore, a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week contact for liaison service must be established, so those who are concerned about a veteran’s well being can contact VAC for advice prior to initiating a wellness check. Once these protocols have been developed, the department must launch a dedicated liaison program with the Canadian Mental Health Association and the relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure successful crisis management when the occasion arises.
I emphasize this means ‘when’ and not ‘if'.
