A psychiatrist who has been working with First Nations mental health services for several years says suicide crises like the one gripping the remote northern Ontario community of Attawapiskat have been a long-standing, inadequately addressed issue for decades.
Dr. Cornelia Wieman, a University of Toronto professor and the first indigenous woman to train as a psychiatrist in Canada, told CTVâs Power Play Tuesday that an alarming surge in suicide attempts in Attawapiskat didnât happen overnight.
âConditions build up over a long period of time and eventually reach a boiling point,â she said.
âWe know that in some communities, and smaller communities especially, when one person is in distress it kind of creates a situation where other people experience almost like a contagious type of effect. And I think thatâs what weâre seeing in Attawapiskat.â
Local health officials have confirmed that upwards of 15 youth in the Attawapiskat First Nation had planned to overdose on prescription pills . This comes after the community declared a state of emergency over the weekend.
Wieman was part of a suicide prevention advisory group that on suicide rates among First Nation youth. The report made a number of short-and long-term recommendations, including an increase in funding for aboriginal mental health services, as well as a national conference on suicide prevention and a âcomprehensiveâ national First Nations mental health strategy.
That was nearly 15 years ago and most of the recommendations âstill have not been acted upon,â Wieman said. âNothing really has changed over the years.â
âThere have been crises like this happening for decades,â she said. âWe only hear more about it now in the last 10 or 15 years because we have more social media and things like that.â
In addition to mental health funding, Wieman said various levels of government should also be looking for other ways to address âan emotional distress that has built upâ in indigenous communities.
That could mean simple things such as more recreational activities or even computer labs on reserves so that youth can feel connected to the outside world, she said.