Involuntary Psychiatric Hospitalization Can Be Horrifying

An open letter to Eric Adams, NYC Mayor.

I learned this week that the government of my city, New York, is advocating for reducing restrictions on police officers bringing individuals in for mandatory psychiatric care against their wills. We’ve discussed why emergency care is problematic in this Substack before. This directive from the mayor is for people who are not meeting criteria for imminent risk to self or others. Which is to say, it’s a much looser rule, and we know how well the police deal with loose rules. I’m providing this helpful primer to explain just how abysmal this idea is.

It’s worth noting many of the individuals who end up homeless and in need of help OR targeted for coercion are Veterans of our military. A community is working to end veteran suicide at Veteran Mission Possible.

Now, there are other parts of Mayor Adams’ 11 point plan that are a good idea. In this broader context the following is completely unfair. But, I’m making a point here, specifically about the first point on the plan. Maybe I’ll h…