Why a B.C. MLA is advocating for involuntary addictions care

Editor’s note: This story contains references to suicide. If you or a loved one is at risk of self-harm, the BC Crisis Centre can be reached at 1-800-784-2433. Translation services are available.

A local politician is going public with her struggle with alcohol, and how it has shaped her views on involuntary care for people with mental health and addiction challenges.

BC Liberal MLA Elenore Sturko, who serves as the party’s critic for addiction, mental health, and recovery, shared her story in dealing with alcohol addiction following an incident when she was with the Langley RCMP 14 years ago.

In an interview with CityNews, Sturko outlined the 2009 incident on Highway 1, where a man had jumped in front of a truck to take his own life. She says the man had just been released from the hospital, where his mother had taken him after he expressed suicidal ideation.

“It had a significant impact on me. I was later diagnosed with PTSD and I developed some very unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with the symptoms I had…and one of those things was actually self-medicating with alcohol,” she explained.

Sturko, who retired from the Surrey RCMP and who also formerly served with the Canadian Armed Forces, says her veteran’s benefits were able to cover costs for therapy, which helped in her recovery.

However, she says not everyone has that option — something she wants to change.

Sturko calls for compassionate involuntary care

Sturko says given her experiences as a police officer, there is a need for some people struggling with mental health and addiction to be put into compassionate, involuntary care.

“This isn’t really about finding a way to take any person that just isn’t ready for treatment at the moment and scooping them up and arbitrarily containing them. This is about a carefully planned framework that will look at people’s risk to themself,” Sturko explained.

“It’s about closing those gaps to make sure that we’re providing a framework of care that doesn’t allow people to fall through.”

She points out how under the Mental Health Act, someone can be taken to the hospital, but there are constitutional rights that protect against involuntary detention. That’s something, Sturko says, that leads to people not receiving proper care when they are in a mental health crisis.

“There has to be a framework that is set up so that we absolutely are making the proper assessment. And it is actually a very small percentage of our population that would need that type of involuntary care because…they’re a risk to themselves or others,” she noted.

While involuntary care could be used in certain instances, Sturko also says the destigmatization of mental health and addiction could lead to more people seeking help on their own.

“Decriminalization is not the only way we can break down stigma. Sharing our stories and being willing to be vulnerable with each other is a way that we can let people know that it’s okay. People do struggle, but you can get better,” she said.

“A breath and a heartbeat is not enough. It has to go beyond just the concept of keeping people alive. We want to keep people alive to get them well.”