Mental Illness Intervention Methods

While most people are concerned and want violent offenders punished and thrown in prison (which is a valid concern), it is rare that violent acts are committed by the mentally ill. For those crimes the mentally ill commits, prison may not always be the right answer; instead, proper treatment and rehabilitation would be much better. In general, the statement has always been made that the

The crisis intervention team (CIT) program is an approach for law enforcement officers to safely respond to individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Since its inception in 1988 in Memphis Tennessee, the program has spread rapidly and has been described as “the most visible pre-booking diversion program in the United States. CIT develops a special team of officers who are meant to serve as first responders to individuals suspected of having a mental illness, are suicidal, or experiencing a mental health crisis. The goal of CIT is to reduce arrests of individuals who would more appropriately be diverted to the community mental health system. It is also meant to improve the safety of officers and civilians and it accomplishes this

Formal options (hospitalization and arrest) may be time consuming for the officer as well as not be in the best interest for the person that is mentally ill whereas, sometimes officers are sometimes left unable to resolve the matter informally because of the inexperience and unfamiliarity with de-escalation techniques. Law enforcement officers are trained to assess the situation and take the best course of action to resolve the issues, especially when dealing with the mental health community the goal is that the situation can be resolves peacefully. However, recent interactions between law enforcement agencies and mentally ill suspects have had some disappointing results (Teplin, 2000).

The system is broken, and I do not expect police to get the required training to become the first responders for mental health just to have to arrest the perpetrator again two days later. That is not fair for our police officers who are going to get the training. I think a big problem between police officers and people with mental health is the stigma society has created towards mental health. People especially police officers assume people with mental health are going to be violent and that is how police officers are trained to handle a situation. If someone is violent police immediately get prepared for the situation to escalate. Police officers may draw their guns to be prepared to do anything possible for the safety of the public, but I do not think that is always the right approach. Nurses in a hospital do not carry a gun, but in some cases they have patients who threaten them and the patient might have a weapon, but they do not have a way to defend themselves they have the training and knowledge on mental health to defuse the situation. I think we can train police to be able to defuse a situation. Police officers need to step away from the stigma on mental health to do

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a community initiative and training program that has been developed in many U.S. states to help law enforcement officers react appropriately and improve the outcome of law enforcement interactions in situations involving mentally ill or developmentally disabled individuals (CIT Overview). CIT training has many key components such as community collaborations, a 40 hour training program that includes basic information about mental illness and how to recognize the signs, de-escalation training and role play, as well as information about the local mental health system and local laws, plus consumer and family involvement (CIT Overview). The CIT program began in Memphis, Tennessee in 1987 when 27-year-old Joseph Dewayne Robinson was shot and killed during a confrontation with the Memphis Police Department. After the shooting incident the community became outraged and this lead to a new way of doing business for both the police and the mental health community in Memphis (CIT Overview). Based on a collaborative effort a design emerged to help police officers identify and deal with the mentally ill (CIT Overview). In 1988, the Memphis, TN Police Department joined in partnership with the Memphis chapter of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, mental health providers and two local Universities, the University of Memphis and University of Tennessee at Memphis in organizing, training and implementing a specialized unit (CIT Overview). This unique and

CIT is a specialized training program utilizing mental health and substance abuse experts, legal experts, consumer/family advocates, and experienced CIT officers. They teach law enforcement officers how to de-escalate unpredictable situations involving those with mental health disorders. The training is accomplished through role playing, learning about the likely behavior of

In the Article ”Where Police Violence Encounters Mental illness” Matthew Epperson informs readers of the massive amount of violent interactions police officers encounter with mentally ill people, however his main focus is not to blame the police officers but to reinforce mental health treatment. Epperson brings evidence from his experience as a social worker at the county jail “- one of my former clients who was a college student in the late 1990s and who had several tense exchanges with the police as his symptoms worsened.”(Epperson, par.3) Epperson's position on police enforcement worsening mental health issues then leads his claim that if we enforce mental health care system and police informant as one then it will resolve to keeping mentally

His research can be seen as mind opening for those who do not know much about the struggles mentally ill people face in society and within system. It also shows a different reality of what the term “care” really means to those who make the failed policies. He has provide us not only with firsthand experience, but extensive research that reveals why the mental health system and jails have failed those who suffer from mental illness and their families. He not only explains why CIT has worked so well, but proves with facts. For example, in Memphis, CIT had transported 1,533 to local mental centers, rather than jails without any of them being injured. This alone shows how effective the program has been and why it must be taken into more consideration in all police departments. Ultimately, the book teaches the reader the differences that effective and ineffective programs can do and the ignorance of those who think that mentally ill people are safe in

The purpose of Rick Parents (2011) study was to shed a light on policing tactics and use of force when dealing with a situation containing a person suffering from a mental illness, and how to properly distinguish when the use of force in necessary. Rick Parent (2011) has also brought to light the training techniques in place that help officers make the best possible decisions in moments of crisis, and how further examining those training techniques and improving upon them can potentially have an overall positive effect on the officer and the suspect.

The problem not only lies with the mentally ill, but people already in incarceration. Doris James presents the recurring theme of insanity stating that “At midyear 2005 more than half of all prison and jail inmates had a mental health problem” (James 1). The answer for lawlessness does not begin with a cold, empty cell. Rather, governmental entities can begin with the realization that atrocity will continue unless inmates have the advantage of mental health treatment. A therapeutic system should be installed for the sake of the inmates that were not labeled “crazy.” The answer is not to train “hundreds of cops and sheriff’s deputies … which could more efficiently deploy police officers and others whose time is now too often monopolized tending to crisis for which they lack adequate training” (McKenna 2). Excuse me? That is why Freud invented psychology: to have psychologists. If police officers wanted to teach psychology to people, they would become psychologist on their

Veterans who have been deployed to combat and endured trauma display higher levels of emotional distress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Yarvis, 2013). Moreover, the exposure to traumatic events over the lifespan relates to issues that impact the individual by a wide range of mental health problems (Briere & Scott, 2012). The VA offers a vast majority of mental health services, however there are particular interventions that are not offered because there aren’t enough medical practitioners certified or exposed to certain therapies. With respect to the patient, this paper will discuss an unsuccessful treatment plan that would have prospered had the veteran underwent an alternative route of interventions. Although a medical team follows the veteran, her PTSD symptoms continue to affect her day-to-day life.

According to a 2007 research study, some of the most popular labels used to describe people with a mental illness are the terms nuts, psycho, crazy, loony, weird and freak (Rose, Diana, et al. 4). But, what about labels for people with a brain tumor, cancer, diabetes or leukemia? There are no research studies regarding derogatory labels for physical illnesses because few physical illnesses are as feared and highly stigmatized as mental illness. This stigmatization and fear of mental illness is a contributing factor in the numerous challenges faced by law enforcement officers responding to calls involving an individual suffering from mental illness. One possible solution to help officers respond to these calls more effectively is called Crisis

     Linda A. Teplin says that “police involvement with mentally ill persons is grounded in two common law principles: (1) The power and responsibility of the police to protect the safety and

Consider the accompanying illustration. A doctor requests a X-beam for a patient who has transformed her lower leg. At the point when the request is gone into the PC, the doctor is helped to remember the precise components of the confirmation based criteria for such a request (the Ottawa Ankle Rules). The request is not enlisted until the doctor recognizes that the patient either does or does not meet the criteria. Such frameworks have been appeared to diminish improper X-beam orders by as much as

Telepsychology is a relatively new development within the field of mental health service. The American Psychological Association defines it as the “provision of psychological services using telecommunication technologies. . . Telecommunication technologies include but are not limited to telephone, mobile devices, interactive videoconferencing, email, chat, text, and Internet (e.g., self-help websites, blogs, and social media).”(2016). Within the general category of telepsychology, psychological services that are delivered via the internet are referred to as “e-therapy”, “itherapy”, “cybertherapy”, and other similar names. E-therapy is a natural extension of our technological advancement, the growth of psychology as a field, and our ever increasing