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e-2930 (Health)

E-petition
Initiated by John Whelan from Hatchet Lake, Nova Scotia

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • The Government of Canada oversees healthcare for the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP, and veterans;
  • Psychiatric medications are the first-line treatment for mental health problems among members;
  • Mounting evidence raises concerns over long-term medication usage (e.g., neurocognitive impairment);
  • The neurotoxic side effects of psychiatric medications are well-established (e.g., gastrointestinal problems, irritability, emotional blunting/numbing, and cognitive fogging) but these are generally regarded as transient, non-serious events among prescribers;
  • This petition argues for the selection of non-medical research teams;
  • Ideally, a prospective multi-year study is warranted;
  • Given the importance of this issue, collaborative researchers skilled in multimodal (i.e., quantitative and qualitative) investigations are requested;
  • This time-sensitive strategy should prioritize and catalogue the experiences of members and their immediate families (e.g., emotional and mental status, interpersonal relationships, work capacity) for drug-prescribed groups and diagnostically matched non-prescribed groups;
  • Findings from neuropsychological evaluations, blood analysis, and prescription records for randomly selected members would form a quantitative research component; and
  • In the absence of Canadian research on the long-term effects of psychiatric medications.
We, the undersigned, members, former members, and families of the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP, call upon the Government of Canada to initiate a third-party investigation into the long-term (greater than 1-year) effects of psychiatric medications, delineating the (i) relationships between psychiatric drugs and medical releases, (ii) beneficial and deleterious physical, neurocognitive, emotional, and quality of life outcomes for members and their families, (iii) ability of prescribed members to benefit from non-medical interventions, (iv) relationships between medication usage and transitions to civilian life.
The findings should be made available for public review.
Open for signature
November 20, 2020, at 10:26 a.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
February 18, 2021, at 10:26 a.m. (EDT)
Photo - Bernadette Jordan
South Shore—St. Margarets
Liberal Caucus
Nova Scotia