Francis isn’t the first person to suggest that officers suffering from PTSD are shoved out the door and forced to quit or into early retirement. There’s also the fear of seeming weak by coming forward with their issues, as these are considered “manly” jobs and sufferers fear seeming weak in their colleagues’ eyes. Twenty-three first responders in Canada have killed themselves this year as of October, and government statistics show that more Canadian soldiers have committed suicide than have died in combat in Afghanistan. There have been numerous complaints from RCMP officers, regular police, firefighters, and the military that the counselling and treatment options for PTSD available to them are inadequate. Hopefully this event will open up the dialogue about mental illness in this country. Judging from the hundreds of people that showed up for Cpl. Francis’ funeral, it looks like people are ready for a discussion. This country needs to stop treating mental illness like a dirty little secret that will go away if they ignore it long enough. It’s time to acknowledge that not all diseases can be seen. humberetc/francis-suicide-highlights-rcmp-failures-on-ptsd/
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 02:44:43 +0000
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