Valuable online resources

Do you know what to do if someone in your community is in need of emergency psychiatric treatment for a severe mental illness? If not, check online where many communities are making life-saving information available. Here are just a few examples:

NAMI Maryland offers a brochure on “What to do in a Psychiatric Crisis in Maryland.”

The Superior Court of DC created an FAQs to explain how to help someone who needs it.

NAMI Greater Chicago created A Guide to Voluntary & Involuntary Treatment, Someone I Care About Needs Help: What Should I Do?

The State of Florida offers their entire Baker Act Handbook, including petitions for emergency psychiatric evaluations, a summary of the mental health treatment law.

If your community does not provide this information online, consider joining your state mental health department and/or your state NAMI in an effort to make this information available. Lives in crisis depend on easy access to these types of resources.