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Police should not be involved in mental health incidents, Australian report says
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
43 points (97.8% liked)
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After reading the article, and as someone who is just a member of the general public with a family (not a mental health sufferer), I don't know how I feel. I can understand the sufferers point in the article where he was beaten for a bipolar episode... but do I feel police should take on that role of protector from people acting in a way where it doesn't feel safe for me or my family, I hope sufferers can understand that too. I wouldn't have a clue what the solution is as I also wouldn't want to be that person they send in to 'just have a talk' as that wouldn't seem very safe in every situation either.
How do they tell who is having a mental health episode vs some psycho just out to take a life?
After reading the article, and as someone who's been in a situation where my partner was mentally unwell, which led to police involvement, I wholeheartedly agree with the article. Mental health staff (acute care) were also on the scene, but the behaviour of the police only escalated the situation and made it more difficult for my unwell partner, for myself, and for the trained mental health staff. We all commented afterwards about how poorly they handled the situation and how we wished that they at least had better training... but the reality is that they're not experienced in mental health. They should have taken a back seat, let the mental health professionals do their job, and only been there for the protection of others, not to escalate the situation and essentially incite further danger and harm to all involved. It was clear that their need for a power trip just made everything harder for everyone. There needs to be some kind of reform.