PTSD, Corporal Ron Francis and Institutional Aggression

by Stephen B.Chadwick, MA Counselling Psychology.
www.cowichancounselling.ca

Dear Friends,

I wanted to continue on from my last post on "The Identified Patient" with the part two, which is The Blame Game, however as of today, October 7th, 2014, it was reported, at least in Canadian national news, that Corporal Ron Francis, who was a member of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) had in fact committed suicide.

RCMP Corporal Ron Francis returning his uniform, in tears.

This poor man, had made national headlines last year as he had been found smoking marijuana while in uniform. And while, yes, smoking marijuana while in uniform, is probably not becoming of an officer of the law, Francis stated that this was due to his PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) which had had a cumulative effect upon his mental health.




Of course, anyone who works within a system or institution is, when "slapping the nose of the bear", likely to be mauled as was probably the case with Francis, especially if one calls out the faults of the system.

And unfortunately when working environments become more toxic, one once again has the "Survivor" mentality, where one sees the emergence of the "King Rat" phenomenon. It is ugly, mean, and definitely not human.

Dear friends, if someone you know is a first responder: fire, ambulance, police, or mental health and are dealing with trauma, especially vicarious trauma, have them, encourage them to seek help. Or check out the link on this blog on suicide and suicide preventions tips and warning signs.

This suicide did not need to happen.

Take Care,

Steve.