Squamish RCMP attended to ten mental health calls in just one week, a large number for the detachment.
The calls this past week ranged from wellness checks to police responding to those in serious mental health crisis.
Sgt. Sascha Banks it remains unknown as to why so many Squamish residents were struggling.
“Our hope is those who need help are able to reach family, friends, or support network,” Banks said.
“Please ask those around you if they are doing OK and if they need any assistance in order to help bridge the gaps,” she added.
On November 26, Squamish RCMP attended to a call of a suicidal person in Paradise Valley on November 18.
There were three back-to-back calls on just that day.
On November 4, local police officers hiked to the First Peak of the Chief after they received a call about a suicidal individual suffering a mental health crisis.
Although there could be several reasons for these calls, the pandemic has heighted the feelings of stress and anxiety, according to research released today by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in partnership with UBC researchers.
The second wave of the pandemic has caused alarming levels of despair, suicidal thoughts and hopelessness in the Canadian population, the research says.
Of great concern, the researchers say, is the sharp increase in suicidality this fall, with one in 10 Canadians (10 per cent) experiencing recent thoughts or feelings of suicide, up from six per cent in the spring and 2.5 per cent throughout pre-pandemic.
The new research also shows that few Canadians are getting mental health services and supports they need, while many are relying on a combination of healthy and unhealthy strategies to cope.
The survey and the research can be read in more detail here.
