Help or Harm? The Tricky Business of Mental Health 911 Calls
Imagine you're having a really tough day. Your mind is swirling, you feel overwhelmed, and you know you need help. So, you do the brave thing: you pick up the phone and call 911, hoping for a kind voice and some support. Sounds like a good plan, right? Well, for some, that call for help can turn into a nightmare.
That's exactly what happened to an Army veteran in Los Angeles recently. He was struggling, called for mental health assistance, and instead of a calm chat with a professional, he got… well, police officers. And while we appreciate our officers, sometimes a uniform and a badge aren't quite what you need when you're in a mental health crisis. In this particular case, things escalated faster than a rocket launch. What started as a plea for help ended with multiple taser shocks, serious injuries, and even more trauma. Ouch.
It sounds wild, right? You call for a doctor, you get a firefighter. Not quite the right tool for the job. And that's the heart of the issue here. Our amazing police force is trained to handle crime, keep the peace, and respond to emergencies. But mental health crises? That's a whole different ballgame. It requires de-escalation, empathy, and specialized knowledge – not always a police officer's primary training focus. When officers, however well-meaning, arrive at a mental health call without this specific training, situations can quickly go from bad to worse. It's not about blame; it's about making sure the right people respond to the right calls.
So, what should happen? Picture this: You call 911, explain it's a mental health crisis, and guess who shows up? A team! Maybe a police officer for safety, but definitely a mental health clinician right alongside them. Someone who knows how to listen, de-escalate, and connect people to the care they truly need. Places like San Diego already have models like this (hello, PERT teams!), where mental health pros are on the scene. It leads to fewer arrests, fewer injuries, and more people actually getting the help they called for. Revolutionary, right? It just makes sense.
This veteran's story is a stark reminder that we need to rethink how we respond to mental health emergencies. Calling for help should never lead to more harm. It's time to equip our first responders, not just with better training, but with the right responders for every situation. Let's make sure that when someone bravely reaches out, they find true support, not just another crisis.