2nd Issue

August, 1966 THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER
A

N.D.P. POLICY STATEMENT ON

IMENTAL HEALTH

GORDON DOWDING, MLA

The five basic requirements
of an adequate mental health
program are detection, pre-
vention, treatment, rehabilita-
tion and research.
Detection

In British Columbia early
detection of the mentally ill
seldom occurs until the
patient has become a com-
munity or school problem. A
closer liaison between the
family doctor, the school and
the courts must be developed
to make early detection the
rule and not the exception.

To this end the inadequate
resources prevalent through-
out the province must be re-
inforced by more travelling

clinics, regional psychiatric
centres attached to health
units and competent profes-
sionals to serve each school
district. Local facilities which
do not exist must be founded
to search out the individuals
long before acute mental ill-
ness results,

Detection at an early stage
is now possible but still un-
realized in British Columbia,
in consequence of which the
community pays a heavy price
in family tragedy, social of-
fenders and wastage of human
resources,

Early Prevention

Early prevention of acute
mental breakdown or socio-
pathic behaviour is almost
non-existent in British. Co-
lumbia. Although prediction
tables can foretell potential
social delinquency or emo-
tional instability with 84%
accuracy at the early age of
5 or 6 years, this field of de-
tection and prevention is al-
most non-existent. Even
where potential cases are dis-
covered, little is done to pre-
vent the predictions from
coming true because of lack
of staff facilities and con-
certed action by government,
doctors and our schools. A
New Democratic government
would co-ordinate and expand
preventive resources in each
region and school district of
the province.

Treatment

In the field of treatment, al-
though lip-service is being
paid to decentralizing mental
health facilities, a bold com-
munity program must be es-
tablished in every region of
the province, fully integrated
into a universal hospital and
health insurance plan. Psychi-
atric services must be inte-
grated with community hos-
pitals and adequate staffs pro-
vided by joint action at the
provincial and local levels.

Special services for re-
tarded, autistic and emotion-
ally disturbed children are re-
quired in every region of

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British Columbia. Special
classes and treatment centers
must be provided close to the
communities and not merely
in one center.

Forensic clinics should be
available to those with devi-
ate or anti-social tendencies,
but separate from direct gov-
ernment authority to preserve
the co-operation of the
patient.

Hospitals such as exist at
Essondale are no longer ac-
ceptable to prevailing views
of psychiatric treatment. The
patient must be close to his
family and his community.

The tragedy of today is the
inexcusable failure to provide
facilities at the community
level to treat schizophrenic,
autistic and handicapped chil-
dren. Although between 5 to
10% of all school-aged chil-
dren are emotionally  dis-
turbed, the present govern-
ment has still not imple-
mented a program that
reaches them. We are classi-
fying as delinquent many who
are in fact mentally ill. Only
one such child out of 60 is
estimated to be receiving
therapy. Treatment of such
children should be a major
priority of government.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation of the men-
tally ill requires an energetic
approach by the community
and government to provide
trained psychiatric social
workers, transitional group
living homes and supportive
facilities to ensure early re-
turn of patients to construc-
tive roles in society. Such
measures are lacking under
present government policies
and particularly in regions

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%

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outside of the Lower Main-

land.
Research

In the field of research
British Columbia has lagged
far behind the rest of North
America. The causes of schiz-
ophrenia, retardation and the

treatment of the autistic child .

are still baffling science. Brit-
ish Columbia has received

oe FT
Neat gt:
H COLUMBIA SINCE 18717,

DID YOU KNOW THAT
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holiday, with all the trimmings, on July
4? They even used American postage
stamps there.

9

only meagre support from this

government in mental re-
search. This area in particular
must be expanded in line with

‘the national drive to under-

take massive research into the
causes, treatment and pre-
vention of mental illness.

To these goals the New
Democratic Party will dedi-
cate its efforts.

oO

U-11073-1