mental health

Is neglect of the mentally ill leading to violence on Vancouver streets?

The news is shocking. A man shot in broad daylight at a Yaletown Starbucks. Sirens wail.

Police pursue, more shots are fired as they take down the suspect outside a tourist attraction full of children. Onlookers say they've never seen anything like it.

The initial reaction: How can this happen in a place like Vancouver? But the fact is — it happens all the time. Remember Nicholas Osuteye? How about Jerome Bonneric? Mohamed Amer?

De-escalation key in training police to deal with the mentally ill

The homeless, mentally ill man holding a knife is surrounded by officers — guns drawn — in a parking lot.

“Drop the knife!” an officer is heard yelling on fuzzy cellphone video shot by a passing motorist.

Seconds later, a blaze of shots ring out — more than 40 — and the man drops to the ground.

Mental health issues found to be as fatal as smoking

Mental health problems including anorexia and recurrent depression are as deadly as smoking, research suggests. Oxford University researchers said that people with mental health problems in Britain have the same life expectancy as the general population in North Korea and Bangladesh.

The study highlights the need for mental health patients to have their physical health monitored closely. The researchers calculated that smoking 20 cigarettes a day was associated with a reduction in life expectancy of eight to 10 years.

Rebecca Smith Reports

Woman died despite rules to prevent suicide

The rules governing operations at the Canada Border Services Agency’s YVR holding cells contain a suicide prevention policy, but it is unclear whether security staff monitoring the cells had implemented it in the case of a Mexican woman who hanged herself in December.

Under the rules, security personnel contracted by CBSA to monitor the cells are supposed to receive training to help them identify potentially suicidal individuals, according to a policy manual obtained by The Sun under the Access to Information Act.

Website aims to break social stigma around mental illness

Can listening to the personal stories of people with mental illness reduce stigma and increase society's understanding? That's the hope of Raincity Housing, a Downtown Eastside agency that houses and provides support to residents who often battle mental illness and/or substance abuse.

On Monday, the start of Mental Health Week, Raincity launched an interactive website and a series of videos on YouTube in which local people talk about themselves in an effort to reduce the fear around mental illness.

We need a harmonized approach to the disclosure of mental-health information

Recent investigations by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner in both Ontario and British Columbia have shed significant light on the troubling practices of some police services in disclosing the mental-health information of Canadians. At the heart of this issue is to whom this most sensitive information is being released, and when.

Mental health-related calls up dramatically for police

Social disorder calls that involve police dealing with people suffering from mental health issues don’t appear in crime statistics, but they’re soaking up more time and resources each year, say Nanaimo RCMP.

Supt. Mark Fisher, the detachment’s commanding officer, said Nanaimo isn’t unique and that the rising trend is taxing community resources to varying degrees across the province.

Vancouver Police dealing with an increase of mental health calls

It’s been a hot topic in BC over the past couple of months, and mostly due to some high-profile crimes, but the government still hasn’t laid out a solid plan on how to deal with mental health issues.

It has been several months since the Liberals announced it was investing $20 million to help patients who are battling mental illness and addiction, but has anything changed?

More mental health beds on the way

Mission’s campus of care will include a residence for mental health clients next year.

The former Pleasant View Care Home will be converted into a new 54-bed mental health residential campus, Fraser Health announced Wednesday. It will include three sections, including a 19-bed residential care facility, a 22-bed assisted living centre, and 13 bachelor suites.

The new facility will offer three levels of care for mental health patients, said Meryl McDowell, director for mental health and substance use services for Fraser Health.

Mental Health Task Force a Big Tent

Mayor Won't Share Details of Deliberations 

Time to test your memory, people. 

Remember last September when Mayor Gregor Robertson and Police Chief Jim Chu told us how this city was in a mental health crisis? 

Remember when one month later Robertson announced at city council that he was creating a task force to tackle the problem of mental health - and addictions? 

I remember all this because I wrote about it. 

But, you ask, what ever happened to that task force? 

I was thinking the same thing. 

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