How do you help someone in a mental health crisis? Options are available in Charlotte
The case of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers fatally shooting a 33-year-old man hours after he had an interaction with the department’s Crisis Intervention Team has raised questions about how to get help for someone in crisis.
Derrell Raney died Nov. 5 in the parking lot of a shopping center where officers were called to assist a security guard who said Raney had pointed a gun at him.
Hours earlier in response to a separate call, members of CMPD’s Crisis Intervention Team were urging him to seek mental health care, the department says. He reportedly refused treatment, the department previously told the Observer, and he couldn’t be involuntarily committed by CMPD because he “did not appear to want to hurt himself or anyone else.”
How to have someone involuntarily committed
Emergency petitions for an involuntary commitment in North Carolina begin with a person showing “signs or symptoms” “that indicate potential danger to self or others,” according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
In that situation, a commitment examiner completes an exam that’s submitted to a district court judge. The judge then either denies the petition or agrees the person should be sent to a 24-hour, in-person treatment facility for a second exam.
A second hearing is then held, where a judge will decide if the person should undergo a substance abuse commitment, outpatient treatment, inpatient treatment or be released.
There are other means of seeking an involuntary commitment for someone in North Carolina beyond an emergency petition.
A clinician can also request that a person be evaluated. That evaluation is then submitted to a magistrate, who can then either deny the petition or issue a “custody order.” If a custody order is granted, an officer will take the person to a 24-hour facility for a second exam.
Again, a judge will then decide if the person should undergo a substance abuse commitment, outpatient treatment, inpatient treatment, or be released.
A “layperson” can also file a petition to involuntarily commit someone with a magistrate. The magistrate can then deny the petition or issue a custody order. If the magistrate issues the custody order, the person will be taken in for a first exam. Depending on the results of that exam, they will either be released or taken to a 24-hour facility for a second exam.
Once again, the situation will go to a judge, who makes the decision on whether or not the person should be released or get further mandatory treatment.
What to do if a loved one is in crisis
Beyond the involuntary commitment process, there are many things you can do if you know or see someone in need of mental health care.
If someone is showing signs of suicidal thoughts, the American Psychiatric Association recommends reducing their access to means for harming themselves, encouraging them to talk to you about their feelings and trying to help connect them with mental health services.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 or SuicidePreventionLifeline.org, and folks who are helping someone through a situation can also reach out for help.
You can also visit crisissolutionsnc.org to find crisis support services in Mecklenburg County and around the state.
And CMPD’s Crisis Intervention Team does undergo training on “mental illness, co-occurring disorders and response strategies” and work with mental health groups such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
You can reach the crisis unit hotline at 704-566-3410 (select option 1 after dialing) or by calling 911 and asking for a “C-I-T” officer. Other CMPD officers responding to a situation may also request a CIT officer.
The CIT officer can then help with “verbal de-escalation” and recommend further treatment or assessment.
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 4:58 PM.
