Mental illness: A conversation with Canada’s police forces

As Clara Hughes cycles into Montreal on day 13 of Clara’s Big Ride (which she is doing to get people talking about mental illness and its stigma), Canada’s police forces and mental health leaders are just wrapping up a conversation of their own. This week the Mental Health Commission of Canada hosted a conference in Toronto’a city where police get 20,000 calls a year directly related to mental health issues, reports cbc.ca. The goal of the three-day meeting was to start a dialogue between police agencies and mental health workers about what works and what doesn’t.

"Some areas in the country and handling the issue differently and perhaps better than others," Louise Bradley, CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, told cbc.ca. "That’s the whole purpose of this conference ‘ to learn about that and to be able to share that information that’s critically important."

Related:
‘ Mental illness: Canada’s youth need our help
‘ Clara’s Big Ride: And, she’s off!
‘ Clara Hughes cycles for mental health awareness