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Matters was dealing with post-traumatic stress: psychiatrist TERESA MALLAM arts@pgfreepress.com
The psychiatrist who treated Canadian Armed Forces veteran Greg Matters in the months before his Sept. 10, 2012 death, provided insight Wednesday into his patient’s emotional state. Dr. Greg Passey, a Vancouver psychiatrist specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) told a coroner’s inquest that Matters became his patient in 2011. In addition to having chronic physical pain, Matters – who Passey diagnosed with PTSD – suffered from panic attacks, insomnia, problems concentrating, hyper-vigilance (of his surroundings), and an increased sense of ‘fight or flight.’ Treatment for patients with PTSD includes trying to increase support and reduce stressors or triggers, he said. Dr. Passey said he believed that Matters was “well on his way” towards recovery. His future looked bright: His finances had improved, he’d enrolled in a psychology program and wanted to be a counsellor, he planned a visit his sister in Australia, he was planting trees on his mother’s property, he was golfing with his neighbour. “This is a guy who used to be a hermit in his own room,” said Passey. “He was enjoying life,” he said, but cautioned, “That’s not to say he couldn’t be triggered....” In response to questions about whether or not Matters could have been suicidal on Sept. 10, 2012 during a stand off with RCMP, which ended with police fatally shooting him, Passey said although Matters may have had suicidal thoughts in the past, in his opinion, Matters was not suicidal at the time of his death. In fact he had just had “one of the best days of his life” when he acted as his own counsel in April 2012 on an alleged assault charge against his brother Trevor – and he had been acquitted, said Passey. “He did not have a death wish. He did not want to die.” Referring to Matters’ reportedly saying if people came onto his property, “I will die if necessary,” Passey faltered momentarily in his testimony.
“This is not a suicidal statement,” he said, tears coming to his eyes. He paused for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve lost a lot of friends to suicide.” Returning to the question, he responded: “I interpreted that as a steely resolve to protect himself ... his family ... and his home.” At another moment in his testimony, Passey explained: “I’ve spent a good chunk of my life taking care of these guys [so] it’s very, very painful when I lose one.” Some of Matters’ legal troubles, which arose from threatening language, were an attempt to get people to listen to him, he said. Passey said his expectation is that Matters would have continued to improve over the next year or so. He suggested the fatal outcome of the standoff may have been averted if Matters had had access to the people he trusted most, his mother, his sister, his psychiatrist. Passey explained that in Greg Matters people suffering with PTSD, the upper brain, which carries do not get their names on monuments but thought processes, starts to shut down and they can be called the “unknown fallen” he the lower brain, which controls impulse or said and he hoped that they too would be rethe fight or flight response, takes over. Asked membered with a wreath on Remembrance by Cameron Ward, counsel for Lorraine and Day. Asked for any recommendations he Tracey Matters, what would be the effect on might like to share with the inquest jury, Matters given the presence of police in cam- Passey suggested police carry videocams ouflage, armed with M-16s and a helicopter and record what goes on in instances like hovering over his head, Passey said that at the one in which Matters was fatally shot. that point, his frontal lobe was likely “not The technology could protect the interests of operational at all.” police officers as well, he suggested. The flight or fight would kick in – and he “If there is a standoff, why not capture all was trained not to run, Passey said. of that?” “Because of his military service?” asked He also suggested a call for more public inquest counsel, Rodrick Mackenzie. education about brain disorders and special “Yes,” said Passey. training for law enforcement people who The psychiatrist explained that the men are dealing with people who have brain and women who come back from a tour of disorders. duty and who may later suffer from PTSD MORE ON PAGE P3
Too much LNG ‘urgency: Chiefs Bill Phillips editor@pgfreepress.com What’s the rush? That was the message from chiefs at the B.C. First Nations LNG Summit in Prince George this week. With the provincial government touting five liquefied natural gas plants possible for the Northwest in the coming years, and as pipeline proposals come rolling through First Nations territory, they are feeling under the gun. “We’re really feeling the pressure, from not only the provincial governTerry Teegee ment, but the proponents,” said Carrier Sekani Tribal Chief Terry Teegee. “Really, we should be dealing with the two levels of government.” He added that First Nations have limited resources to examine these projects properly to determine whether they are in the band’s interest or not. Grand Chief Edward John was a little more direct, using his band as an example. “There’s a proposal for Trans Canada Pipeline to go through adjacent to one of our villages,” he said. “Companies come in with a sense of urgency. We have to have a socioeconomic impact study done by the end of this month. The situation is this – we have no resources in our communities, we have a company coming in with a pipeline who are expecting us to jump up and down
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