- Banned
- #61
Guy needs some better imaginary friends.I'm somewhat familiar with the mental health system in my area. To put it kindly, it's a joke and a bad one at that. Cop picks up man walking down the middle of the street, half dressed talking to his imaginary friend. Cop drops off man at an ER where he spends 8 or 10 hours waiting for a psychiatrist who immediately says he need to be evaluated which takes about 3 days or more in a mental faculty. Since there are no openings, he is either dump on the streets or ends up in another ER. If he's really lucky he get in a pysch ward for evaluation. So after 3 to 7 days, he's shown the door with a diagnosis and a list of psychiatrists which he will quickly lose because he's so zonked out on meds he'll be lucky to find his way home. A few days after the meds wear off, he and his imaginary friend continue on his road of discovery bouncing around from ERs, short term stays in mental wards, jails, homelessness shelters, until he get's in big trouble, kills himself, or someone else.I think the right way to reduce the police is to reduce the need and that starts with providing the mental health and social welfare services that are needed.
Given that a large number of people that police deal with with on a daily basis are regular clients of both the mental health and social welfare systems ... I see a flaw in your theory.
This not the mental health system, I'm referring to.