Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for coming.
I am going to begin by making a few comments about concerns I have.
I really think we need to focus on the epidemiology, the extent of the problem. What are the causal factors? What are the warning symptoms for families? Prevention has to be our goal.
In stating that, there is currently no mechanism in place to say how many Canadian Forces personnel or veterans have been treated for an operational stress injury, anxiety, depression, or PTSD or how many have needed in-patient care. That national database is critical for understanding the extent of the problem. It would allow us to evaluate various clinical interventions, and it could be used to target education and training initiatives.
I’m also concerned that the automated medical record-keeping system, which was to be operational in 2008, was delayed until 2011 and is now delayed until March 2012.
Another concern is the mental health survey, which won’t be undertaken until 2012. Some of these recommendations go back to 2002.
I’m going to focus on treatment. There is considerable variation across the country. If we look at the five regional mental health centres, there are delays of up to four weeks for treatment. In the last week alone, I have had ten requests, from very desperate people, for psychiatrists. I was on the phone last night until midnight with two of those people. Is four weeks okay when you have people suffering from PTSD and worse?