People in a mental health crisis need help, not handcuffs

Ah The mental health crisis is horrifying, both for individuals experiencing it and for those witnessing it. People with sore throats need help, but are often handcuffed.

We have seen scenarios evolve from the inside and the outside. It’s time to change.

Bill’s story

At the age of 35, I was in prison in a prison in Georgia. My crime? I am experiencing severe symptoms of psychosis. This is not the first time I have been imprisoned for this, nor the last. But that was one of the worst.

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My symptoms led me to believe that the other 15 in the cell might be trying to kill me, and my fear was taken over. My behavior became unstable, but no one was aware that it was the symptoms of my psychosis that caused me to act this way. I obeyed and was hit unknowingly. When I woke up, I was restrained in a chair. His arms and legs were tied up and his head was pulled back and stuck. In the end, I was sent to a “hole” for lonely confinement.

After overcoming the storm, and finally the proper process returned-I came back from prison. Not everyone does: a black woman with psychosis, Natasha McKenna, Died after being imprisoned in a Virginia prison..

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Today I’m recovering, but I think it’s a miracle 40 years ago both inside and outside the judicial system. Finally, we got the help we needed, including supportive housing, outpatient care, peer support from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and responsible people.

Dan’s story

As CEO of NAMI, I hear stories like Bill every day. What he and others have experienced—many yet Passage — Not conscientious.

Following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, protests from the color and white communities also created refraction and reflection in our country. Black Lives Matter and others are forcing a conversation about the role of law enforcement in our community.

For decades, discrimination against people with blame, prejudice, and mental health, especially black Americans, has cost the countless lives enormous. It didn’t happen on its own. As a society, we have allowed it to happen. Our lazy mental health “system” is almost never too late. Law enforcement officers are often the first responders to mental health emergencies. And we Funded programs Like the one that helped Bill. Change is needed to save lives and live our values ​​of justice, inclusion and compassion.

Four points of mental health crisis

The demands of racial justice, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the subsequent economic crisis have highlighted a tragic awareness of what will happen to the most vulnerable people in our society. To change the outcome, you need to destroy the system that puts police at the forefront of crisis response. To do this, NAMI Focus on four areas Community mental health: crisis care, inpatient care, social support, outpatient care. The result of Bill’s “miracle” is Everyone Commitment to these policy changes is associated with mental illness.

crisis management. Our country needs a compassionate, evidence-based response to the mental health crisis. Establishing 9-8-8 as a nationwide hotline to help people with mental health crises and prevent suicide requires the Federal Communications Commission to Advance, Provides a dedicated number that is easy to remember for assistance. You also need a variety of culturally qualified crisis services for those in need, such as mobile crisis management teams and crisis stabilization programs. In addition, those who provide care to people with severe mental health conditions, including law enforcement officials, should be trained in effective scaling and engagement strategies.

Hospital treatment. In the United States today, individuals with the most severe symptoms of mental illness usually cannot receive inpatient treatment unless they are considered at risk to themselves and others. It doesn’t make sense. It’s like telling a hospital who is experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of a heart attack to come back when the heart stops. It does not happen: Symptoms appear as serious signs and are treated to prevent recurrence or worsening.

Symptoms of severe mental illness such as mania, delusions, and delusions should be treated seriously as well. Instead, people with severe mental health conditions routinely leave the hospital or leave their home or street before they really stabilize.

Social support. It is essential to ensure that individuals have access to their necessities such as safe housing, food and income sources, and to help support communities on the path to recovery. Unfortunately, most communities do not invest in this. 20% to 25% Many people who are homeless have a mental illness, Color imbalance people..

Outpatient treatment. People with mental health should be able to receive the best care early. yet 60% One of our counties has no psychiatrist, no specialist representing the diversity of people in the country, and no one trained in the most effective interventions. We cannot accept the current situation. We need a traumatic mental health workforce, that is, a racial trauma workforce. Mental health care when and where you need it

Acknowledge the role that law enforcement agencies still play

The role that law enforcement continues to play in this area cannot be ignored, as we seek to provide systems that provide appropriate mental health responses to those who are experiencing a mental health crisis. According to the Washington Post, 194 people with mental illness were shot dead by police officers in 2019.

To prevent such unnecessary death, NAMI promotes the following programs. Crisis intervention team The last 30 years. This is a police-based model designed to improve the safety of the public and police officers, and help people with mental illness receive treatment instead of being placed in jail. It also advocates changing agency policies and procedures to keep people with mental illness away from involvement in the criminal justice system.

While officers trained in crisis interventions can be life savers, it is important to remember that they are a reaction to a fundamental flaw in how they respond to a mental health crisis. It is not the answer to solve them safely. The answer is an investment in a comprehensive mental health care system that demonstrates cultural competence and fair treatment.

Our country has to do a lot of learning and painful growth in terms of policing and mental health, including disproportionate effects, including real conversations and real deliberate change processes. In the color community.. People affected by mental health are well aware of what it means to experience stigma, but not all people play a doubling role in the race. Our community has a lot to do to engage in the actual dialogue needed to collaborate on real solutions. Only then can we work together to make lasting change.

Bill Carruthers was a former developer of the Rockdale County Stepping Up Initiative project developer, CEO of Recovery on Fire, and former director of NAMI Georgia. Dungirison is the CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.