Recognizing & Managing the Mentally Ill for Police Professionals: A Field & Training Guide

Police officers have become the first responders in the mental health crisis facing our nation. Mental illness is the only illness in which police are called when the person exhibits symptoms. This manual is a compilation of mental disorders and behaviors that commonly confront police officers on calls for service. The disorders commonly experienced in routine calls and scene management tecniques are listed in alphabetical order for quick access. It is designed as a quick reference guide to assist police officers and supervisors recognize various mental disorders and manage the often-chaotic scene during calls for service. It also serves as a valuable training guide.Police officers are often the least trained and least equipped to manage a mental health crisis in the field. This lack of training and the failure to understand mental illness leave police officers in a precarious situation and are the basis of multiple lawsuits each year against officers and their departments.Each year, police officers and mentally ill persons tragically lose their lives during these calls for service. In the last 20 years, 155 police officers have been killed by mentally ill persons.In 2015, a survey revealed that 243 mentally ill people were killed by police officers. In 168 of the incidents, family members requested police intervention of their loved ones. Seventy-five of these were suicidal. About one-fourth of people killed by police suffer from mental illness.This manual offers techniques for scene management and information for understanding mental disorders most commonly encountered by police. The information contained is easy to comprehend and understand and avoids technical and medical terms where possible.The guide contains recent court rulings and guidance on the use of force in civil and non-criminal matters involving the intervention and detention of mentally ill subjects. A summary of Involuntary Commitment procedures for each state are listed in the Appendix as well. Also included are case studies describing nationally recognizable incidents involving police departments around the country that serve as examples for officers on how quickly things can go wrong during these calls.A list of medications commonly prescribed for various mental disorders are included in alphabetical order by both the trade name and generic name for quick access in identifying medications found at the scene that may help identify the disorder.