• 

I have learned these lessons on the front lines as a Mom, and the road ahead in helping those in crisis with serious mental illness

A person who has a serious mental illness and is in crisis may be experiencing paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and be feeling threatened and fearful. Their brain is not functioning normally. Their perceptions of what is happening are altered by their illness.

Their sensory system is off base. What they are hearing is often altered, and their ability to process the words spoken to them is malfunctioning. Their brain circuitry is off kilter.

So, if you give a person in this state of mind, what appears to be clear and simple directions; for example, – put your hands up- it could be likened to asking a person in a wheel chair who was waving something threatening to stand up, or to asking someone who was profoundly deaf to put their hands up, or asking someone who was having a seizure to stop and desist.

This is a dangerous oversimplification that can cost lives. When police officers who have not been given training about mental illness crises are dispatched to respond to a mental illness medical crisis without any mental health liaisons accompanying them, that could be a volatile situation with potential terrible outcomes- and the responsibility to change that lies with all of us- families, mental health agencies, police departments and other first responders, communities, and politicians.

You see, when a brain is misfiring due to serious mental illness symptoms, you cannot see that. The outward aggressive behavior that they are showing and you can see are defensive ( affective aggression) , not offensive (predatory aggression) and need a different approach for life saving outcomes for all.

Police officers are asked to do so much in today’s communities and they should be given all the training and support they need in the event that they are dispatched to respond to a serious mental illness medical crisis. , and we should thank them when they help us and our loved ones to carry on.

There is a ton of work to be done yet, and the good news is that we have many voices of experience, knowledge and caring that can lead us forward. Collaboration, funding, and comprehensive planning with the voices of all included can guide us together to change futures for the better for those who get devastated by serious mental illnesses- horrendous brain based sicknesses. We need leaders in this gigantic important effort .Take care and thank you for reading this.