Canada program leads the way in managing mental health crises | Human Rights Watch

Canada Program Leads the Way in Addressing Mental Health Crises

Supportive Community Response, Rather than Law Enforcement Kaola Baird experienced intense feelings of depression and sadness. She began noticing that she was ...

Community supportive response rather than law enforcement

Kaola Baird experienced intense feelings of depression and sadness. She began to notice that she felt drained, with limited energy and motivation. She just stopped getting fully involved with life. Your experience is not unique. Every fourth person in the world experiences a psychological crisis at some point in their life. Most don't get the support they need to recover.

Instead of receiving community-based mental health services, many people in Canada are faced with law enforcement and other approaches that are not always appropriate, such as police "wellness checks". According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the police answer an average of 2,8 million calls each year related to mental illness.

Fortunately, Baird sought immediate psychological support and received warm, empathic, and respectful intervention services that did not involve the police. She was able to continue her work in Toronto as a fitness trainer and yoga trainer helping others on their way to mental health recovery.

To support our work, please visit: https://hrw.org/donate

Human rights monitoring: https://www.hrw.org

Subscribe for more: https://bit.ly/2OJePrw

Which