New York City Trains Police Officers In Handling People With Mental Illness

New York City is stepping up its efforts to meet the needs Americans with mental illness. The city is planning to make mental first aid kid as available and widespread as CPR!

According to Yes Magazine, 25% of Americans have mental illness. This phenomenon is associated with high social, financial, and emotional costs.

The World Health Organization also reported that depression should not be underestimated as it is the main cause of disability worldwide. More people are suffering and miss more time from work from depression compared to any other medical problem," shares Bryan Gibb, Director of Public Education for the National Council for Behavioral Health. Gibb added that left untreated, a person with depression is at risk of committing suicide. He claimed that depression is the no.1 cause of suicide. 

Apart from these harrowing facts, Yes Magazine claimed that one more dilemma associated with depression is that if it is misunderstood, interactions with the police can end in tragedy. For instance, in 2014, Ezell Ford, a man diagnosed with multiple anxiety disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia was ultimately shot and killed by a Los Angeles officer. In New Mexico on the same year, James Boyd, a homeless man with mental illness was also shot by the police, as reported by Fox 8. 

These cases indicated that there is a critical need for law enforcement officers to be more aware of mental illness and the approaches they should carry out when interacting with people with the disorders. 

Joseph Coffey, a trained police officer in dealing with people with mental illness, emphasized this. "If an officer can recognize what they're seeing may be a manifestation of mental illness, they can take a more appropriate action-which may not be arrest," Coffey said.

This is why New York city is entering a partnership with the National Council for Behavioral Health to make these trainings now accessible to complete communities. 

In particular, ThriveNYC, a public initiative started back in November 2015 will donate $850 million in funds for mental health programs for the next four years. Around 25,000 first responders to crisis situations such as police officers and firefighters will receive mental health first aid training. 

With this initiative by the New York City, it is highlighted that mental illness is not a joke, and as such, it should be taken as seriously as physical illnesses and injuries. Hence, the "first aid" when necessary. If the trainings reach the whole community, bystanders will become more experienced in preventing deaths, evaluate harmful circumstances, and pursue the needed medical treatments, as reported by Fox News.