TRANSLATION OF THIS IMPORTANT OPEN LETTER

“Actions Santé Femmes is a French NGO committed to the health of women in great difficulty all around the world. ASF teams intervene for emergency missions, training, education and companionship in the field of gynecology and obstetrics wherever women need it.

We, members of the NGO Actions Santé Femmes, gynecologists, obstetricians, midwives, united with the medical community of France, and any man or woman respectful of human rights, strongly condemn the repression orchestrated by the Iranian regime against women, and express our solidarity with the people of Iran, martyred by unspeakable executioners.

We mourn for Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish student of 22 years old, who died on September 16, a few days after her arrest by the morality police for “wearing an inappropriate veil”.

We support the revolt that has been expressed since that day, the first female revolution not only in the Muslim world, but in history. A revolt that is not exclusively feminist but which is associated with a new generation of young people, who no longer want to be suppressed, who want to dress, move, and even meet each other freely, as expressed in a song that has since become an anthem: “To dance in the street / For fear when kissing / For my sister, your sister, our sisters, etc…”.

Today we would like to express our deep emotion and our profound respect for all the women and men involved in this struggle, as well as our condolences to the families of the many victims, whose number is now estimated at more than 500, among them 70 children, with some under 13 years old.

We are outraged by the treatment inflicted on those arrested, especially the young girls and women subjected to systematic rape and torture.

We want to salute the courage of the doctors who treat these victims, taking the risk of going underground and sometimes paying a high price, like Doctor Aida Rostami, 36 years old, martyred and murdered for having treated the wounded at home.

We count on you, Mr. President, to implement all political and diplomatic actions within your authority, in order to bring the most concrete and urgent help possible to the victims of this terrible repression.”

With our respectful consideration,

The post Open letter to Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of France on the Iran Regime’s Repression of Women’s Rights appeared first on Medika Life.

We serve no worthwhile purpose when we slander anyone, least of those sworn to protect us. Yes, I know I may be accused of being too pro-police because I have many law enforcement relatives, but I am a citizen who views the problems from a professional standpoint. I hope I can be unbiased, and I have tried my best, as all of us, to try to clarify some factors contributing to this bloodshed.

I can’t imagine what it must be like to be a POC in this country and have teenage boys in the family who, indeed, must feel targeted for arrest or worse for nothing more than a broken taillight on a car or jogging on a road in broad daylight.

The questions of mental illness and auditory hallucinations are not at issue here because neither was involved in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. His death was precipitated by his jogging in an area where there had been recent criminal activity. If a neighbor were thinking “citizen’s arrest,” would he have needed the firepower he carried with him? In this death, the police were not involved.

The town where I live asked me to provide a few classes for their officers regarding dealing with persons with mental illness. I quickly discovered that the police officers were similar to the security personnel at a psychiatric hospital where I had worked; they bought into the myths about mental illness.

Many of you have probably heard the myth about how powerful someone with such an illness can be and how dangerous. It is endemic in our culture, and we need to address it because people are endangered by it. Studies have shown that a lack of training and procedures can result in a self-fulfilling prophesy of mental illness and dangerousness.

“…departments lack written policies and procedures for management of persons with mental illness. The lack of education, training, policies, and procedures has a tendency to cause line officers to respond improperly. Instead of approaching the call as a person with an illness, oftentimes police officers will approach as though the patient is a dangerous felon.” When we combine all the myths, especially those where people believe the mentally ill have super strength, the result can be a tragedy.

I recall a young, immature, and almost seven-feet-tall patient on a unit where I worked. He thought it was great fun to tell tall tales about hiding alcohol on the grounds. Unfortunately, he “acted up” on the unit, and the security team was called in. These men have previously worked in law enforcement locally or in the military. Four men jumped on top of him and pulled him to the ground, where the skirmish resulted in one officer having a broken finger and another a severely sprained wrist.

They put shackles and handcuffs on him and pushed him into a grounds’ car to take him to the police station, where they pressed charges of assault against him. He was a young kid who laughed through the entire “fight,” viewing it as fun rather than fear on their part. He hadn’t attacked them; it was the other way around, but he was charged.

Another factor that may play a significant role in irrational police actions of any type may be the stress of the job, which can lead to depression and affect their work. But, along with the stress comes preexisting bias and racism; we cannot deny that.

Police culture has also played a role in how the officers respond to a situation involving a mentally ill person. We have already seen that there may be inadequate training regarding these interactions, but how much has been researched regarding the inherent fear of officers?

The stigma in the culture of the police workplace prohibits any display of what may be seen as fear. But aren’t all of us vulnerable to fear, especially when placed in a perceived life-and-death situation? Doesn’t our adrenaline kick in when danger is apparent?

Police officers are not immune to this natural, biological response. Their ability to control the reaction determines the situation’s outcome. But how many are willing to tell others of their fear? They are also victims of stigma, but here it is of appearing fearful in any situation.

The work of the police is essential, but their humanity must also be important. Just as the military has had to deal with mental health issues, such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression, police officers must be seen in this enlightened light.

The post Police Unreasonable Fear May Be Deadlier Than Racism appeared first on Medika Life.

We know police officers have three things they may share with those who wish to end their misery; high rates of suicide, substance abuse disorders, and marital difficulties. Mental health disorders do not disappear once a uniform is donned. The nature of the job brings them into contact with trauma on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. It is not a job for the faint of heart.

A review of research over the past 20 years on those who choose to commit suicide by cop indicates that the typical perpetrator is a younger white male experiencing romantic relationship conflicts. There is also a significant mental health and criminal history.

The individual is often intoxicated at the time of the incident and is mentally impaired in their ability to recognize what they are pursuing. The most effective interventions by police are expected to be limited to verbal interactions related to the individual’s presenting problems. It’s a process of understanding and going slow. But there’s something more than an attempt at suicide here.

An important aspect of suicide by cops which cannot be ignored is the long-term effects of these types of situations for the police involved, who may experience a level of PTSD not previously explored. And let’s not forget that the incident may happen in a shool where the individual has many students who can be victims which escalates the deadliness of the situation.

In fact, school shootings have become endemic in our 21 Century culture with the ease of obtaining deadly weapons and protective gear. The number of students exposed to school gun violence since the killings at Columbine is an astounding 278,000 at 298 schools. How many of those kids will go on to have lives seriously affected by these shootings?

We know that the police incidence of PTSD related to violence in their line of work is also of great concern. “Approximately 15% of the police officers in the U.S. and globally experience symptoms of PTSD. Numbers can be much higher based on exposure, such as after natural disasters or tragedies like 9/11.”

But one other factor here is the fact that not all police personnel will report their difficulties or seek counseling, fearing it will affect their careers or how they are seen by others. We see the same reluctance to seek help in the military and healthcare professions. The numbers may be quite conservative.

Whether the shooters intended to kill as many victims as possible and, in the process, go out in a blaze of police gunfire is immaterial. The fact remains that mental health issues are becoming a serious concern for police, school safety officers, school administrators, teachers and ancillary school personnel. Anyone is fair game in these shootings and some will be collateral damage of stray bullets in the foray.

How many kids are, realistically, expressing a reluctance or refusal to go to school fearing they may be killed? This is no longer the attachment problems or school concerns we used to see. These kids are terrified and yet we expect them to return to a school where perhaps nothing happened, but they know all about the schools where kids and teachers were killed.

The danger isn’t necessarily from someone who comes into the school; they’re fellow students. Not even the metal detectors (and not all schools have them) are reassurance. Guns aren’t always the weapons used, as we’ve seen in other countries where knives and hammers have been used to harm or kill children.

The kids in Oxford, Michigan had been hearing of concerns about danger and it wasn’t just a silly fantasy, students died. When a ten-year-old boy tells his mother he doesn’t want to go to school and he’s seen the school psychologist once (did the psychologist think that was enough?), what does a parent do? Kids are asking who’s next? One survey found 91% of teachers are stressed.

Will home schooling become more prevalent as little is done to control the killings in schools by controlling their access to guns or treatment for their mental health problems? How many schools have a full-time school nurse available, much less a psychologist or other counselor? The need increase while the access decreases.

The generation growing up now will be in a world very different from the one we knew. Walking to school has already become unacceptable, going to a school wearing a bulletproof backpack may be suggested and school shooting drills will replace the nuclear bomb ones of the 1950s. Now, however, the fear is real, not a world away, but only a classroom away.

Our kids and our police need our support and our help in more ways than we currently know. How can each of us help? The question is vital and we must include it in discussions at school and in our homes.

The post Suicide by Cop Results in Shared Pain and Mental Illness appeared first on Medika Life.