Mentally ill get punishment instead of treatment - Jeff Gerritt, DFP columnist

[Leftist Agitator]

12. And I quote:

"If you are in such pain that your thoughts of suicide are unbearable, please call 911 immediately."

You forgot to mention that if you do this, you will be incarcerated in either a jail cell, or a mental institution. If you are incarcerated in a mental institution, you will not be released until a psychiatrist decides to release you, which will likely take many, many months or years. In fact, you may never be released.

Also, if you are charged with a crime as a result of your interaction with the police (and you most likely will be), you will have a criminal record for the rest of your life. If you are incarcerated in a mental institution, you will be forced to disclose that fact when applying for jobs, which will likely result in being denied employment. Moreover, you will not be allowed to purchase or own a firearm.

I understand why you would advise people with suicidal ideation to call 911, but people need to be aware that doing so can utterly destroy one's life. Suicidal thoughts accompanying depression are not treated like other medical conditions. An ambulance will not respond to such a call, the police will. And the police have next to zero training dealing with mental illness.

Anyone who would willingly invite an encounter with the police will most assuredly regret their error.