Re: “Suicides proof WorkSafe is failing first responders: critic,” Jan. 3; “Take closer look at PTSD help,” editorial, Jan. 4.
Last fall, provincial labour ministers agreed to “take steps to reduce the stigma associated with mental-health issues in the workplace.”
Lisa Jennings, a former B.C. paramedic, has been fighting since 2014 to have her post-traumatic stress disorder recognized as work-related. The decision on her final appeal is due Jan. 17.
From what has been reported, a factor in the decision might be a tendency on the part of WorkSafe B.C. to stigmatize people who avail themselves of counselling services. Jennings says that WorkSafe determined that she “had a well-documented psychiatric history for accepting some counselling.” She participated in counselling related to “transitional issues” when she moved from Calgary to B.C. in 1997 and to the deaths of her parents in 2007.
If this is the primary basis for WorkSafe denying Jennings’ PTSD claim, it’s sad. People should not be punished for consulting a counsellor, especially when such consultations have no bearing on the case in question.
People who consult a counsellor in regard to important life issues are taking initiative in the best interests of their mental health, which generally benefits society. They should not be stigmatized for it.
Jennings wants B.C. to follow the example of several other provinces and add a presumptive clause to the workers’ compensation legislation, meaning that if a first responder is diagnosed with PTSD, it would automatically be assumed to be an occupational illness unless proven otherwise.
This deserves serious consideration. As your editorial concluded: “something definitely needs to change” in B.C. regarding first responder PTSD claims.
Patrick Wolfe
Victoria
