sometimes people experiencing psychosis and/or mania will come up to you on the street and talk in confusing or upsetting ways. your job is to either have a regular human-to-human conversation with that person or politely leave. your job is not to call 911. do not call 911. you might kill that person if you call 911.
I don't even have the energy to screenshot and respond to your tags- what the actual fuck is wrong with you? "the cops are scared and rightfully so" "mental health calls are the scariest for cops" OH so this isn't about the safety of psychotic & manic people this is about piggy feelings?
and no, actually, this is not USA specific and no, actually, people from other countries should not ignore this post. police violence and sanism weren't invented in the US and they are certainly not unique to here. if you (or anyone) thinks that this bullshit doesn't happen elsewhere then you are not listening.
cops r Some Guy with a Gun
do we want Some Guy with a Gun in this situation? answer is usually "NO"
This is legitimately useful reframing. A while ago I started replacing the word "cop" in my vocabulary with "a man with a gun." It really puts things into perspective.
This homeless person is making me uncomfortable. Should I call [a man with a gun]?
My neighbor is having a loud party. Should I get [a man with a gun] involved?
There are some teenagers skateboarding. Do you think [a man with a gun] would get rid of them for me?
It makes it very clear what you're saying. I can call a man with a gun to threaten or hurt someone mildly inconveniencing me. You're not calling the cops, you're calling A MAN WITH A GUN into a situation that does not warrant a firearm handled by a volatile lunatic who will not be held accountable for his actions.
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Check if your area has a crisis response program or other non cop emergency lines. There's a group in my area of trained professionals you can call, I think specifically for someone youre worried will cause harm to themselves, who roll up in a truck and just sit and talk with the person until they're safe to leave.
Obviously, research them before you call them, but like having a crisis response team in your phone can help in situations where your programming is gonna tell you to call the cops.
Keep in mind also that in many areas, "nonemergency" lines do go to the exact same police dispatch as 911, and crisis response teams will often get the police involved.
The important point the original post is making is: if a psychotic person is simply saying things that are weird or hard to understand, that is not a danger to you and you do not need to call anybody about it.
