Option
Supportive Community Response, Rather than Law Enforcement
Kaola Baird experienced intense feelings of depression and sadness. She began noticing that she was feeling drained, with limited energy and motivation. She just stopped engaging with life fully. Her experience is not unique. One in four people around the world experience a mental health crisis at some point in their lives. Most don’t get the support they need to recover.
Instead of receiving community-based services for their mental health needs, many people in Canada face law enforcement and other approaches that are not always suitable, like “wellness checks” by the police. According to data issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the police responds to 2.8 million mental-health-related calls on average each year.
Fortunately, Baird sought immediate mental health support and received warm, empathic, and respectful intervention services that did not involve the police. She was able to continue her work in Toronto as a fitness instructor and yoga coach who supports others through their path in mental health recovery.
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