Like Alaska, Canadian north vexed by suicide, drug, alcohol problems

image by Grant Sewell photo here

CBC News | Eye on the Arctic
The Canadian government released a national strategy on mental illness this month, and the country's northern territories are welcoming the plan.
Mental health is a serious problem in the North.
Suicide rates are among the highest in Canada, addictions to alcohol and drugs plague many, and the criminal justice system deals with a huge volume of charges every year.
The territories lack services, and as a result, police are sometimes the first point of contact for people in distress.
"Looking at some of our stats in 2012 so far to date, there has been a noticeable increase of encounters with folks who are suffering from mental health symptoms," said the RCMP's chief superintendant for Canada's eastern Arctic territory of Nunavut, Steve McVarnock...Read here...