By Marvin Ross
The front page headline in my local paper recently caught my eye and made me shudder. Blazoned across the front was ‘If my neighbour can do this to my brother it can happen to anyone’: Man who gunned down neighbour not criminally responsible due to schizophrenia The subhead read “Friends and family of Nikko Sienna say court finding for Mark Duckett in 2019 shooting is an injustice.”
How often have we seen similar protests in various communities around North America? An innocent person (or more usually) a family member is killed by an untreated person with a serious mental illness and the rage is directed against the sick individual rather than the system that allows this? People want retribution and blood and begin to lobby against the judicial system for having a not criminally responsible disposition.
Ironically, there was supposed to be a solution to prevent this locally. In March 1997, a toddler was stabbed to death by his next door neighbour who thought he possessed the soul of her own son who had died of AIDS. Zachary Antidormi’s parents had called the police numerous times to complain of their neighbour, police took reports and that was as far as it got. Responding officers were unaware of previous calls and no treatment and/or hospitalizations was ever offered.
Out of the inquest that was held after the event, came the establishment of the Crisis Outreach and Support Team in Hamilton. This program pairs specially trained plain clothed police and mental health workers to attend crisis calls, defuse them and arrange long-term solutions. Sadly, from my own experiences and from what I’ve heard from others, they can take a couple of days to respond to calls.
Zachary’s mom, Lori Triano, was a psychology intern at the Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia and has dealt with her grief by devoting her practice to helping others grieving. She went on to become president of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada. She did not rail against the law that sent her neighbour to hospital but she used her energy to do good. Most people do not have her education or understanding so we, as advocates, need to address these events head on.
Unfortunately, the focus of a lot of established mental health groups is to deny this violence reality and to point out that the majority of the mentally ill are victims rather than aggressors. True enough, but each event of violence nullifies all that good work and puts us back to square one. Let’s be realistic, a young untreated often homeless individual with schizophrenia can be very scary. Despite that, much of the advocacy focus has been to try to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness while ignoring the untreated.
It may be possible to generate sympathy for a depressed, quiet, reclusive group of people but not for the dishevelled homeless wandering the streets pan handling. Yes, they are someone’s child but the fear of them and the periodic violence that occurs generates very little sympathy.
The late Dr Julio Arboleda-Florez of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario was involved with the Open Doors Anti-Stigma Project begun by the World Psychiatric Association in 1998. In an editorial that he wrote in the November, 2003 issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, he made the following comment based on those results.
He said “helping persons with mental illness to limit the possibilities that they may become violent, via proper and timely treatment and management of their symptoms and preventing social situations that might lead to contextual violence, could be the single most important way to combat the stigma that affects all those with mental illness.”
He added:
“while most myths about mental illness can be traced to prejudice and ignorance of the condition, enlightened knowledge does not necessarily translate into less stigma unless both the tangible and symbolic threats that mental illness poses are also eradicated. This can only be done through better education of the public and of mental health service consumers about the facts of mental illness and violence, together with consistent and appropriate treatment to prevent violent reactions. Good medication management should also aim to decrease the visibility of symptoms among patients (that is, consumers) and to provide better public education programs on mental health promotion and prevention.”
Dr E Fuller Torrey made similar comments in an article that he wrote in Schizophrenia Bulletin in June 2011 called “Stigma and Violence: Isn’t It Time to Connect the Dots?” He points out that despite increased understanding of what causes mental illness, stigma has increased. And he says that the reason for this is that violence by those with serious mental illness has increased which increases stigma. Like Dr Arboledo-Florez, he sees the solution in reducing the violence with proper treatment. Numerous studies have demonstrated that treatment will reduce violence in those who might become violent.
As advocates we must own up to this violence and push the fact that treatment is needed to help both the ill person and society. Everyone should have the right to be we as well as modern medicine can accomplish.
Mind You Reflections on mental illness, mental health and life 
Last Sunday a newcomer appeared at our post Sunday service coffee hour at church. She had come seeking Baptism to cure the Satanic demons who had been torturing her for years. The state had treated her Schizophrenia with Seroquel for 3 months when she lived at a homeless shelter — then she stopped the medication. Now her only medication is Ativan as needed for anxiety. She tried Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for her Borderline Personality difficulties, but that too fell by the wayside when she stopped attending out-patient appointments. Her “evil” family had called COAST, as they were very concerned about her paranoid delusions/ hallucinations concerning her apartment building neighbors. That went nowhere. This lady has the support of a disability pension, independent living in subsidized housing, as well as a family doctor. I think that’s all the help she will accept. She doesn’t like medication, and is suspicious of anyone who encourages anti-psychotics. She resists treatment of any kind, and only wants a Baptism. She knows the system well enough to deny that Satan encourages her to harm herself or to harm others. She accuses others of harassing her, but she does not threaten them, and she has not assaulted anyone. Is this distressed woman a threat to the public?
At present she poses no imminent threat to herself or others. Therefore under Ontario law she cannot be forced to accept treatment against her will. The hands of COAST are tied. Frankly, I’m not sure our local psychiatric hospital would welcome her even if she was willing. 2 psychiatrists have left the acute schizophrenia ward where I used to work, and no health care professional welcomes the prospect of a “high maintenance” Borderline Personality Disorder patient.
As for Baptism, our church will not baptize anyone who isn’t thinking clearly, or is there for the wrong reasons — we have a “team approach” to ensure that. Well, that was my Sunday. I was given an encounter with Christ Crucified in our broken world — it isn’t pretty, or comfortable, or simple. Still, we pray.
LikeLike
When are we all going to get together to start a Movement for reform and demand treatment for our loved ones and society? It’s long overdue and we have a crisis with Mental Illness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hear, hear. When indeed? And HOW? The Schizophrenia Society of Canada–which once represented the family voice and the concerns of family members for seriously ill loved ones– has been all but destroyed. There is no longer a national advocacy organization to counter the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s policy on “recovery”, which insists that individuals *must choose their own path to wellness. This appalling discrimination against people with severe and persistent mental illness means our most vulnerable citizens are abandoned to our streets and alleys and the criminal justice system. FAMILIES NEED A NATIONAL VOICE TO HELP SAVE THEIR LOVED ONES, BUT NO LONGER HAVE ONE.
LikeLike
I echo your thoughts here Jane.
The city of Kingston is now in a quandary! It tried to close the homeless tents and clear garbage behind the Integrated Care Hub . ( where they can use safe injection cubicles to inject their substances. Loads of confusing stats are being spied out. There was a pretty noisy outcry to having the police going in to clear the tent site. So the city cancelled its proposal pronto.
Many articles in the local paper over the last few days… have decried the lack of services for the homeless and why they do not want the to go to the shelters because they can’t have their addictive substances on the hostels and warming sites etc. And their staff and volunteers are complaining that they do not have enough trained staff.
There is now talk of finding a bigger site for the Integrated Hub. SOUNDS TO ME THAT THEY NEED A NEW HOSPITAL! The other talk … acknowledges that many of the homeless have mental illness along with everything else and that some of them have concurrent disorders. Surprise surprise ! I hear often a lot of people screaming at their voices delusions etc on the streets as they trek the streets. Nobody yet has mentioned the tricky Mental Health ACT here .
Downsizing and increased supply of illegal and legal drug supplies have escalated increasing dangers for the vulnerable.
Bill Jefferies, the founder of Friends of Schizophrenics began in Ontario to become a national and world organization. It then became the Schizophrenia Society . It strayed from its true advocacy objective. Bill Jefferies must be turning in his grave. I joined his organization 198O . His family and patient advocacy was inspiring. A new movement that does not become compromized needs to happen . But I am too old along with my peers and too dashed to start one. My series articles in the forum page of the Whig Standard 1998 Schizophrenia, Breaking the Silence , illustrated the problems then if one did not fix the system. It is far far worse now. Bell Canada seems to have at last grasp that treatment services are the big need, Talk is cheap , but does not fix the system of care.
LikeLike
I did not know that Bell has grasped the idea that treatment services are the big need. Do you know if they look at untreated psychosis as one major cause of the current crisis in homelessness? My impression of Bell Let’s Talk is that they appear to focus on anxiety and depression.
LikeLike
Kathy, There was a big ad in our WHIG newspaper this morning two thirds of a page
Bell Lets talk saying that 1 in 2 people struggling aren’t getting the help they need. They are discontinuing the lets talk and donating to mental health Organizations. Home on the hill should apply !
Lots of stats being spewed out all over the place. But we know that most people trapped in a psychosis can’t ask for help. Anosognosis is a big problem. If you don’t think you are ill you don’t ask for healthcare! Perhaps their families phone Bell. Who knows how these outfits tally the numbers? marketing and fundraising dodges cannot be relied upon.
Andre Picard has a column today in the Globe ” On mental health:less talk , more action” Free advertising for Bell … no doubt. Best stigma buster I know is effective timely treatment
LikeLike