Whether it is intra-family homicides or mass killings, as recently in Amqui and Laval, exposure to violence can lead to contagion effects, explain experts. More could be done to prevent homicides, some say.
The triple murder that would have occurred Friday in Rosemont1 represents a new episode of violence for a Quebec already turned upside down by the tragedy in Amqui at the start of the week, and in Laval at the end of February.
Other possibly intra-family crimes have also forever changed the lives of different families in the metropolis since the beginning of 2023, when young people allegedly attacked their parents, often stabbing them to death.
“These intra-family killings, we have always had them, recalls the DD Cécile Rousseau, pediatric psychiatrist at McGill University. When we are really in distress, the people we are most likely to blame are those closest to us: the members of our family – the spouse, the children and, in the case of young people, the parents. »
“An accelerant”
But whether it’s mass killings or attacks on loved ones, exposure to violence can have a contagion effect. “When I’m not feeling well, in distress, seeing others act [avec violence] in this way, it can have a model or accelerating effect”, summarizes the DD Geneviève Beaulieu-Pelletier, psychologist and professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
“It’s been documented for a long time in terms of suicides,” adds Pierre-Paul Malenfant, president of the Order of Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists of Quebec. And it is also documented in terms of acts of violence,” he adds.
“The media influence, social networks, it has a lot of weight in a person who is not well”, abounds Josée Rioux, president of the Professional Order of Criminologists of Quebec.
Prioritize homicidal risks
According to the DD Rousseau, one possible solution would be to offer more support to people who present homicidal risks (who say they want to kill others or who are at risk of doing so).
Currently, when someone is suicidal, we will prioritize it in terms of services, but when someone is homicidal, we wait until they have done something criminal to offer services.
DD Geneviève Beaulieu-Pelletier, psychologist and professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal
However, today’s young people are more likely to act out violence against others, compared to those of previous decades, she observes. “These days, what we see is the increase in heteroaggressive gestures [agressifs envers les autres]which are also gestures of despair, ”underlines the child psychiatrist.
“The suffering, the rage that is there, in certain individuals, can either be expressed towards the other in a homicidal way, or towards oneself as a suicidal risk, adds the DD Beaulieu-Pelletier. But in the homicidal affects, there are many taboos, a misunderstanding at the social level, she analyzes. Yes, there is a social reflection to be had there. »
Access to services
Obviously, having a mental health problem does not mean that a person will be violent, assure the various experts. “In acts of mass violence, only 22% of situations involved people with mental health problems,” recalls Mr. Malenfant. But that does not mean that these people are not in psychological distress. »
But when there are risks of violence, it is also necessary to know how to prevent them, believes the DD Beaulieu-Pelletier.
“And for that, yes, we have to increase access to care and services, but also reach those who really need it and who won’t necessarily come for a consultation. »
Recent dramas in Quebec and Montreal
Amqui, March 13, 2023
Around 3 p.m., a 38-year-old man named Steeve Gagnon mowed down eleven pedestrians on the edge of Saint-Benoît Boulevard West, while he was driving his van. Two of his victims died while nine others were injured, three seriously. On Tuesday, the Crown filed dangerous driving charges against him. Prime Minister François Legault, who then went to the scene of the tragedy on Thursday, promised to invest more in mental health in the next budget, scheduled for next week.
Laval, February 8, 2023
A bus driver from the Société de transport de Laval (STL), Pierre-Ny St-Amand, killed two people and injured six when he crashed into a daycare center in Laval with his bus. The 51-year-old, with no criminal history, was later charged with two first-degree murders, attempted murder, aggravated assault and assault. In interview with The Pressthe mayor of Laval, Stéphane Boyer, also felt that the event illustrates once again that municipalities must do more to fight against mental health problems.
Montreal, February 19, 2023
The lifeless body of a 54-year-old woman was found in a Parc-Extension apartment, shortly after the police intervened in another apartment in the same building, where a 23-year-old man had been injured in the upper from the body. A 26-year-old woman was later arrested at the scene. It was the second homicide to occur in Montreal in 2023.
Montreal, January 25, 2023
Emmanuel Gendron-Tardif, a 28-year-old filmmaker, was arrested by the authorities after he allegedly stabbed his mother Lysane Gendron on the second floor of a building on rue Fullum, in the borough of Ville-Marie. It was the first murder in Montreal this year. According to our information, the suspect was in crisis at the time of the events. He reportedly suffers from mental health issues.
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Quebec suicide prevention line: 1 866 APPELLE (277-3553)