People in mental health crises need help, not handcuffs | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

People in mental health crises need help, not handcuffs

Posted on July 3, 2020

Opinion piece by Dan Gillison, Jr., NAMI CEO and long-time mental health peer advocate Bill Carruthers, Jr. outlining the changes needed to effectively respond to people in crisis. A mental health crisis can be a frightening thing to the individual experiencing it as well as to people witnessing it. Those in its throes need help, but all too often get handcuffs. Our country needs to do a lot of learning and painful growing that includes a real conversation — and a real intentional change process — around policing and mental health, including the disproportionate effects on communities of color.

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text “helpline” to 62640, or chat online. In a crisis, call or text 988 (24/7).