Vancouver police say a growing number of people in the city are being violently attacked by the untreated mentally ill.
Bill Macewan, clinical professor of psychiatry at UBC, believes there is a lack of mental health services available at nighttime.
According to William Honer, professor and head of psychiatry at UBC, the violence exhibited by the mentally ill could stem from drug-induced brain damage. Honer studied people with mental health issues living in the Downtown Eastside and found they showed permanent signs of brain damage from long term use of crack cocaine and crystal meth.
“We found that half had psychosis, so some way they were disconnected from reality,” he said.
