Mentally ill aren’t usually violent

Increasing incidents of violence between mental health patients and practitioners is troubling. A staff member at the Saskatoon Regional Psychiatric Centre blamed the sudden increase in violence on the banning of solitary confinement.

The solution proposed was to reinstate solitary confinement. This perpetuates the idea that people diagnosed as clinically mentally ill are both incompetent and irrational and that this form of psychological torture will improve their behaviour. There is a large body of research that states neither idea is true.

Safety is a concern for all. Often the safety of patients and families is neglected in the discussions, especially concerning the institutionalized mentally ill. Government leadership and adequate resources are urgently needed to create a framework that involves collaboration among justice, mental health, and patients and families.

Any positive change also requires a change in the culture in the institutions. Ways must be found in the protocols to actively involve patients and families in a recovery model of treatment. Ways must also be found to ensure that all practitioners realize that mental illness is an illness not a choice, and that punishment destroys treatment.

Murray Hidlebaugh, Saskatoon