TISDALE — Mental healthcare remains a priority for the Tisdale detachment of the RCMP.
From Dec. 21 to Jan. 22 the Tisdale RCMP responded to three mental health files. Each file means it is someone who is in immediate risk of harming themselves.
“It’s usually self-harming comments,” said Cpl. Mike Benjamin with the Tisdale RCMP. “Even for myself going about my regular duties, I will have people coming up saying they’re stressed out, they’re not feeling good, they wish that they could make the bad feelings go away. We need to follow up on that right away, not just go, ‘it’s okay, suck it up’.”
According to Benjamin, this is average for the town.
“Mental health continues to be a serious issue in the region,” Benjamin said. “With our mental health files, that’s usually someone making suicidal comments which requires us to go talk to them, assess the situation. If we determine that we have enough grounds, we then take them to the hospital to see a doctor who then makes a further assessment, a medical assessment of the situation then recommends other treatment, further appointments or in more serious cases being taken into Prince Albert.”
Benjamin personally believes a big reason for the large numbers in Tisdale is because people don’t seek help.
“I would say that’s the biggest. The community, maybe the fear of being labeled weak or that something is wrong with you if you have a mental issue. Having dealt with the bus crash, all our members here were given access to medical services including mental health services. There is no weakness in asking for help or seeing somebody for those purposes.”
Getting the RCMP involved does not make it a criminal case, nor is the person in any legal trouble.
“If anybody says they are not in a good place, we will take them to the hospital for further assessment.”
Benjamin recommends seeking out avenues for handling a mental health problem rather than ignoring it.
“If you’re experiencing mental issues, undue stress, if you’re feeling like you’re unable to cope, there are many, many avenues, many resources that can be utilized to deal with it. Here at the detachment victim services comes in quite often and makes referrals that can get people the mental healthcare treatment they need.”
One of those options is to go to the hospital directly.
“That’s the main one, being assessed by a qualified doctor,” Benjamin said. “They have RNs [registered nurses] too that are trained to make assessments but being seen by a medical professional is priority, it kind of gets the ball rolling. We’re on the police end, we just assist.”
According to Joanne Nicholls, community mental health nurse with Mental Health and Addictions Services in Melfort, a less immediate method of getting help can be easy as setting up an appointment with your family doctor.
She said there are several signs to watch out for with depression, either in yourself or a loved one.
“People indicating they are mostly sad for most of the day every day for two weeks or more would indicate somebody needs some intervention from some healthcare professional,” Nicholls said. “Somebody withdrawing from things they enjoy, hobbies, sports – if they’re pulling away from those things it’s also a sign somebody isn’t coping the best.”
Other signs are expressing guilt that can’t be typically verbalized, feeling like a burden, trouble concentrating, trouble making decisions, restlessness, isolation, irritability and anger.
“I find men that are suffering from depression comes across as anger or irritability, not necessarily as sadness.”
They could also call Mental Health and Addictions Services in Melfort at 306-752-8767 and ask for the intake worker.
“So they call our intake number and speak with our intake worker who then accesses them on the phone during that time and scores them on a certain level indicating what the priority is for that person. Of course, being suicidal is urgently dealt with,” Nicholls said.
If somebody feels their loved one is suicidal she recommends taking them to the nearest emergency room at the hospital if they’re willing, and call the RCMP if they’re not.
