'We want to be able to intervene early and actually prevent crisis – including a crisis where violence is present – from ever happening in the first place.'
VANCOUVER — Recent cases of violence across Canada demonstrate a clear need to treat mental illness early instead of waiting until a serious crime happens, says an executive with the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld told a news conference following two transit attacks in the city this month that police leaders across Canada have cited an increase in calls related to mental health. "I see help not being available to women who want it," she said in an interview."You fight, and you fight, and you fight and try and get support to women, and often it's too late by the time the support arrives."
And when serious mental illness interacts with a drug addiction, that can elevate the risk for violence, she said. Twenty per cent of police encounters with those who live with mental illness concerned violent crime, another 40 per cent was about non-violent crime and the remaining 40 per cent was for calls about behaviour unrelated to crime, the report said.
Butler said it's important to reduce stigma, but the "eagerness" to do so may also lead to professionals inadequately addressing violence among that population.While the B.C. government has made "significant strides" on some of those, such as civilian-led mental-health crisis teams, she said there needs to be more movement in areas that would directly curb the issue of violence.
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