Hope During Crisis

 

Dear Alibi,

 

Thank you for “Losing It” [Feature, April 20-26], describing the mental health crisis in New Mexico. As one of APD’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) detectives I need to make one correction and give some clarification. Mayor Chavez’ summit on mental health and homelessness resulted in a number of positive initiatives including APD’s Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COAST) and initiatives to address homelessness, but APD’s CIT program has been around for about 10 years. Thank you for reporting the hope in the midst of the doom and gloom.

 

CIT includes about 100 specially trained and dedicated CIT officers and four CIT detectives who respond to people in crisis, some with mental illness. Regardless of budget cuts and lack of services, police must respond and intervene to keep citizens safe. We must utilize available tools; no time for wishing and hoping for more money or services. Currently, people who meet the criteria for dangerousness are taken to hospitals for “forced” inpatient treatment. Some become stabilized, get released, then refuse to comply with their prescribed outpatient treatment. Without treatment, some become dangerous again. Family members and police are painfully aware of the pattern. Currently all police can do is wait until the behavior becomes dangerous again. Kendra’s Law would be an additional tool to try to break this cycle, providing a less restrictive, less expensive option. Mentally ill people who receive regular outpatient treatment have less dangerous behaviors, less need for “forced” treatment and fewer calls for police.

 

This issue will never truly touch the lives of most people. Most doctors will never have to order “forced” treatment. Most families will never have to call 911 for a dangerous mentally ill loved one. Most mentally ill people will never experience their illness to the extent that would make them a candidate for Assisted Outpatient Treatment. It is truly rare. It is a fact some mentally ill people suffer disturbing delusions or hallucinations which they cannot distinguish as part of their illness. We further stigmatize the mentally ill by insisting all mentally ill people can simply “choose” treatment. For some it is not a matter of choice. We should not leave behind those who cannot make informed decisions and choices due to their illness.

 

Kendra’s Law was never meant to be the solution to the mental health care crisis. We should not attempt to reform mental health care in New Mexico with this one law. We should find real solutions to the mental health care crisis. Meanwhile, Kendra’s Law is one real solution to one specific problem; people whose untreated mental illness causes them to become dangerous. Kendra’s Law just might give these mentally ill people an opportunity to improve the quality of their lives and keep them, their families and the community safer.

Detective Liz Thomson

 

 

APD Crisis Intervention Team