Changes to British Columbia’s Mental Health Act have expanded the authority of nurse practitioners (NPs), allowing them to now assess patients for involuntary admission..Simply put, NPs are registered nurses who went through additional training, and the province says the expansion, effective immediately, means more people in a hospital emergency room will be able to “respond to people presenting mental health crisis,” presumably reducing wait times..“By enabling nurse practitioners to assess patients, we are reducing the pressure on emergency department physicians and making sure that people in distress are able to get help faster," said Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jennifer Whiteside..“This is an important additional tool in our toolbox as we continue building an integrated system of care that works for everyone.”.The province describes involuntary treatment as a necessary action used when a person is not willing or able to seek treatment during severe mental illness that affects their ability to manage their lives safely, and they cannot be treated safely as a voluntary patient in the community..If a NP or physician determines a person has a mental disorder requiring involuntary treatment, the mental health facility director will then admit the individual to a designated facility for up to 48 hours, or potentially longer..A physician is required to examine the patient if they are to be held longer than 48 hours..The province also said the move will allow police officers to minimize time spent in waiting rooms..“Police officers are often the first to respond to mental health calls, ensuring a safe response that protects all those involved,” said Victoria Police Department’s Chief Del Manak..“Not only will officers now be able to transfer care of an individual to hospitals in a more timely manner, they will be able to return to the community much sooner to focus on addressing crime and ensuring public safety.”.Under the Mental Health Act, involuntary treatment is limited to psychiatric treatment only. This includes drug induced psychosis, which the ministry considers both a mental health crisis and a medical issue requiring immediate treatment..“If the symptoms of the psychosis meet the involuntary criteria under the Mental Health Act, the individual may be treated involuntarily,” the ministry told the Western Standard..The BC Schizophrenia Society (BCSS) says about 40,000 British Columbians suffer from schizophrenia, noting 50% of all people with the ailment will attempt suicide, with 12-15% succeeding..“Due to a chemical imbalance that affects the brain, many people who become acutely ill are unable to recognize their illness. That means they are unable to voluntarily exercise their right to available treatment — because of the very nature of their disability,” said the society, which supports Mental Health Act’s involuntary treatment policy..BCSS further highlights that “far too many” people with severe and chronic brain diseases have fallen through the cracks of the system..“They have been abandoned to our streets and prisons simply because they are not well enough to seek treatment for themselves,” it added..The act — which grants relatively wide powers to the province's healthcare system to admit people without consent — allowed for 20,000 involuntary hospitalizations in 2021, a number that has been steadily climbing for years, according to the ministry..While involuntary care in the aforementioned context does have its share of critics, the discussion becomes far more divisive with respect to overdose prevention..BC Premier David Eby said during his leadership run last year people who repeatedly overdose should be given compulsory treatment as opposed to being discharged from hospital — an idea both applauded and condemned..Now the leading cause of unnatural death in the province, the overdose crisis was declared a public health emergency in BC in 2016, and since then, more than 10,600 British Columbians died as a result of toxic illicit drugs..With 58 overdose deaths for every 100,000 people, Vancouver had more overdose deaths per capita than Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles in 2021.
