A MENTAL HEALTH NEWSLETTER FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS
 

Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis A United Way Agency

In this issue . . .

John J. McAtee

Twenty-four officers were recognized and received the John J. McAtee award on May 25 at the 18th Annual Police Recognition Luncheon. Officer Emily Mancuso (St. Louis County Police Department) was also named Officer of the Year.  Pictured at right is Officer Emily Mancuso, flanked by Steve McAtee (left) and Sheriff Glenn Boyer (Right). The officers were honored for showing compassion and concern above the call of duty when interacting with a person during a mental health crisis.  Award recipients represented law enforcement agencies from Overland, Pacific, St. Louis County, Jefferson County and St. Charles County Sheriff’s Departments, Olivette, Herculaneum and DeSoto. More than 100 officers, family members and representatives from the mental health community attended the event to honor the recipients. A special award was presented to the St. Louis County Police Department for its implementation of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program. Pictured at right, Chief Ronald Batelle, Major Tim Fitch and Captain Robert Trittler accepted the award on behalf of the department. Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer delivered the keynote address. Boyer openly admits to being in law enforcement long enough to have seen dramatic changes over the years in the way officers are trained and able to respond more appropriately when dealing with a person in a mental health crisis.  Sheriff Boyer also acknowledged the need for continued cooperation between law enforcement and mental health agencies in order to serve those in need. He also commented, “We must demand that our legislatures fully fund treatment centers and mental health facilities. We cannot allow budget shortfalls, lack of manpower, and fewer resources to destroy what has taken over 30 years to achieve.”  In congratulating the recipients, Boyer stated, “The fine officers that are being presented awards today represent the finest qualities that all of us in law enforcement hope to achieve. I ask that you continue to share those qualities with your fellow officers.”  The Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis hosts the annual event and accepts nominations from police departments, mental health agencies, hospital emergency rooms and emergency shelters. 2004 John J. McAtee award recipients: John Allen, Barry Armfield, Phil Bates, John Bozarth, Scott Burkard, Madison Coates, Pete Gober, Paul Gordon, Roger Guerrette, Monte Hickey, James Kausler, Emily Mancuso, Kevin Martin, John McCrady, Steve Rancilio, Ken Reese, Scott Schumer, William Schwab, Mike Smith, Chuck Stockman, Tim Tanner, Mark Whitson, Richard Will, David Wolff. Also pictured: Jim McAtee, Steve McAtee, Judge Robert Dowd, Jim Dowd, Glenn Boyer, Vetta Sanders Thompson, Marge Parrish, Lynn Gober   (L-R)Mental Health Association Board President, Vetta Sanders Thompson, Ph.D., Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer, and Judge Robert Dowd enjoy a chuckle before lunch

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Officer Emily Mancuso’s professionalism and diligence in helping save the life of a suicidal person warranted her receiving the Officer of the Year Award at the 18^th annual John J. McAtee Police Recognition Luncheon. 

Mancuso, from the Affton Precinct of the St. Louis County Police Department, responded to a call concerning a young man who had been staying with a couple in Affton. The subject in question had left two notes indicating his intent to kill himself and one note stating he had stolen a gun in order to commit suicide. 

After gathering information from family, friends, the precinct office and a university-based police department, Officer Mancuso was able to connect with a friend of the man in question. Mancuso arranged for the friend to call the man’s cell phone, and she coached the friend throughout the conversation in an attempt to learn the man’s exact location and intentions. 

Mancuso’s coordination of a plan to intercept the young man included officers from two other departments, Sgt. Tim Tanner and a Central County officer, both of whom are trained in CIT (Crisis Intervention Team). 

The young man was committed to a local hospital for evaluation and processed through the CIT system of follow-up to obtain mental health treatment.  

On the day after the incident, the subject called Officer Mancuso to thank her for saving his life. He told her that he fully intended to kill himself and the only thing that stopped him was her continuous work to assist him.  

Officer Mancuso’s efforts to save this man’s life certainly deserve her recognition as Officer of the Year.

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During the week of March 8, more than 60 officers graduated from the third offering of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program. This 40-hour class is a collaborative effort of the St. Louis County Police Department, service providers and advocates in the mental health community, and St. Louis County Justice Services.  

CIT immerses officers in a training program that allows them to be more knowledgeable about mental illness, intervene more effectively with persons in mental health crisis, and be more aware of community services that provide appropriate mental health services. 

A Recent CIT Class

If you are interested in becoming a CIT officer or your municipality would like to join the ranks of CIT-trained departments, contact Captain Robert Trittler at 314-615-2551. 

The recent graduates of CIT are: 

 
The March, 2004 CIT Graduating Class 

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By Richard Stevenson, brother to a sister whose mental illness took her life. Richard has been on staff of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill-NAMI St. Louis (314-966-4670) for more than ten years.  Included among his responsibilities is assistance to the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Coordinating Council in its implementation of the CIT program for the St. Louis area.

It’s not new: police officers have long served as an integral extension to the mental health system. The good things (better understanding of the brain and development of effective treatments and medications) have collided with the bad (huge obstacles to recovery still remain for many with mental illness), which has led to an increasing number of times when families must call their local police for help with a loved one experiencing a mental health crisis.   

So when police officers respond to a mental health crisis, how can they best interact with the family, to the benefit of the loved one who is ill?  Here are a few thoughts, from the family perspective. 

• First, respect us. Bad things happen to good people. Mental illness is not our fault. We were good parents, spouses, siblings, children. But mental illness just happens, so please don’t blame us. We are trying hard to help our loved one recover, so don’t be hostile or condescending and don’t ignore us as if we weren’t there. Let us help you, however we can, to resolve the crisis.
• Recognize our grief. Understand the devastation we feel when someone we love dearly or depend upon so much has a future seemingly shattered by schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or some other form of severe mental illness. A word of comfort from a police officer during a time of crisis will go a long way with the family.
• Respond to the mental health crisis as though our loved one is ill, not criminal. Yes, people with mental illness can be violent, on occasion, but that happens less often than we are led to believe. De-escalate the crisis situation. Give some space to the one in crisis. Speak slowly, in a calm voice. Remind them you are there to help. Seldom will force be necessary to resolve the situation.
• If you feel unprepared to respond to a mental health crisis, call for a trained Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) police officer, if available in your community, or a Behavioral Health Response (BHR) mobile outreach worker (800-811-4760). They have training and experience in how to respond to a mental health crisis, and they know of available resources for follow-up treatment.
• Help us be helpful. Not all families are the same, of course. Some are more patient, better informed and appropriately supportive. Others are less so. Logic tells us and research shows:  when those with a mental illness are surrounded by family and friends who are well informed about mental illness and mental health services, and who are skilled in communicating with their ill loved one and in dealing with their own fragile emotions, then those individuals with a mental illness have a much improved opportunity to recover. Get these families connected with the support and education services of organizations like NAMI. Insist on it.
• Finally, know how grateful families are for police officers who provide the critical and valuable service of coming to our assistance in time of difficulty as we strive to help our loved ones recover from a severe mental illness.

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Schizophrenia: What Officers Need to Know 

Although officers are not expected to make a diagnosis, it may be helpful to be familiar with the symptoms of this mental illness. 

Schizophrenia is a serious disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels and acts. Someone with schizophrenia may have difficulty distinguishing between reality and delusions or hallucinations; may be unresponsive or withdrawn; and may have difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations.  

Schizophrenia is not split personality or multiple personality.  The vast majority of people with schizophrenia are not violent and do not pose a danger to others.  Schizophrenia is not caused by childhood experiences, poor parenting or lack of willpower, nor are the symptoms identical for each person.  

What causes schizophrenia?

The cause of schizophrenia is still unclear. Some theories about the cause of this disease include: genetics (heredity), biology (the imbalance in the brain’s chemistry); and/or possible viral infections and immune disorders. 

Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the world population. In the United States, about 2.5 million people have this disease. It knows no racial, cultural or economic boundaries. Symptoms usually appear between the ages of 13 and 25, but often appear earlier in males than females.  

What are the symptoms of schizophrenia? 

Positive symptoms are disturbances that are “added” to the person’s personality:

• Delusions – unshakable false beliefs. Individuals may believe someone is spying on them, that they are someone famous, or that they are in a position of power.
• Hallucinations – seeing, feeling, tasting, hearing or smelling something that doesn’t really exist. The most common experience is hearing voices that give commands or comments to the individual. 
• Disordered thinking and speech -- moving from one topic to another without any apparent connection. Individuals may make up their own words or sounds.

Negative symptoms are capabilities that are “lost” from the person’s personality.

• Social withdrawal
• Extreme apathy
• Lack of drive or initiative
• Emotional unresponsiveness

See Street Tips article above

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By Shannon Shelley, MSW LCSW. Shannon has worked as a crisis intervention counselor and is currently the Training and Community Education Coordinator at Behavioral Health Response.

According to the American Association of Suicidiology, there are slightly more than 30,000 suicides annually (83 suicides per day, or 1 suicide every 17 minutes), with 12 of every 100,000 Americans killing themselves. This proves there is a need for suicide first-aid caregivers. Just as “CPR” skills make physical first aid possible, training in suicide intervention develops the skills used in suicide first aid. Most people with suicidal intentions will find some way to signal their intent to others. Often these individuals are looking for other options besides killing themselves. People who are at-risk do not usually want to die. It takes two people to prevent suicide: a helper and a person at risk. Do you want to feel ready, willing and able to prevent the immediate risk of suicide in your community?

Behavioral Health Response (BHR) has been offering a training called ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) to combat this alarming trend in our community. The workshop is for all caregivers including professionals, paraprofessionals and lay people. ASIST is a two-day intensive, interactive and practice-dominated course designed to help caregivers recognize and estimate risk, and learn how to intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Prepared caregivers can help prevent suicide. ASIST connects the understanding and skills to assist the person at risk. It teaches people how to network, so you are aware of options and resources available to the person at risk.

In January 2004, BHR offered its first ASIST training. St. Louis County police officers, mental health professionals, clergy, concerned family members, teachers, a police dispatcher and advocates have been among the attendees for this training. Following the training, these are the things that Sergeant Mark Whitson, a CIT officer from the St. Louis County Police Department had to say, “I believe that this training is useful because all people either directly or indirectly can become victims of suicide.” He continued by saying, “ASIST provides the training you need so you can intervene with confidence to help a person.” This training is for everyone who cares about others. It is for organizations, public and private, that care about its members, employees or the people that the organization serves. Just as CPR is offered to save lives, so should ASIST.

BHR offers this exciting training opportunity on a regular basis. The training is certified by P.O.S.T. and approved through SEMA. Feel free to contact me at 314-628-6214 if you have questions about ASIST or want to be added to the mailing list for future ASIST trainings.

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Open Mind is a column produced by the Mental Health Association, which appears weekly in many Suburban Journals.  Click here for the reprint above and access to the entire Open Mind Archive on this website.

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We have archived past issues of Street Talk on this website.  All back issues also include a Mental Health Directory and a link to a relevant Open Mind column.

April, 2004

• 2004 John J. McAtee Award
• State Budget Cuts Affect Law Enforcement
• St. Patrick Center Programs
• Homeless People are Not All the Same
• Street Talk Archives
• Mental Health Directory
• Say YES to Homeless Youth
• Youth In Need Provides Services to Young People
• Roll Call
• P.O.S.T Approved Training
• Open Mind: Homelessness

January, 2004

• CIT: Safety, Understanding, and Service
• Street Tips: When Someone is "Acting Strangely."
• CIT: Training Makes it Happen
• Law in Action: Jail Diversion Program
• Do You Know? Obesity
• Q&A: Criteria for Involuntary Commitment
• At Your Service: Hawthorn Children's Psychiatric Hospital

October 2002

July 2002

April 2002

Following is a dated index of previous articles that have appeared in Street Talk.  To get a copy of any article or a previous issue, please call LaDonna Haley at 314-773-1399.

"It Worked for Me" (Officer Gorman)

Holiday blues vs. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

What should I know about Bipolar Disorder?

"When it finally hit home – part 1" (FBI agent Burt Jensen)

Public policy, mental health, your work

Liability issues for officers and departments

In the Limelight: Hazelwood PD

At Your Service: St. Patrick Center

I’d like you to know (helpful hints)

Dealing with frequent callers

"When it finally hit home – part 2" (FBI agent Burt Jensen)

Officer and Department of the year awards

At Your Service: Provident Counseling

Q&A: All about EAP’s

Know your mental health options

What does confidentiality really mean?

Rethinking our strategies (John Bozarth)

Anger management

Helping peers in distress

In the Limelight: Ballwin and Hazelwood PD’s

January 2002

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