Teller Jennifer L S, Munetz Mark R, Gil Karen M, Ritter Christian
Department of Sociology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA.
Psychiatr Serv. 2006 Feb;57(2):232-7. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.57.2.232.
In recognition of the fact that police are often the first responders for individuals who are experiencing a mental illness crisis, police departments nationally are incorporating specialized training for officers in collaboration with local mental health systems. This study examined police dispatch data before and after implementation of a crisis intervention team (CIT) program to assess the effect of the training on officers' disposition of calls.
The authors analyzed police dispatch logs for two years before and four years after implementation of the CIT program in Akron, Ohio, to determine monthly average rates of mental disturbance calls compared with the overall rate of calls to the police, disposition of mental disturbance calls by time and training, and the effects of techniques on voluntariness of disposition.
Since the training program was implemented, there has been an increase in the number and proportion of calls involving possible mental illness, an increased rate of transport by CIT-trained officers of persons experiencing mental illness crises to emergency treatment facilities, an increase in transport on a voluntary status, and no significant changes in the rate of arrests by time or training.
The results of this study suggest that a CIT partnership between the police department, the mental health system, consumers of services, and their family members can help in efforts to assist persons who are experiencing a mental illness crisis to gain access to the treatment system, where such individuals most often are best served.
鉴于警察常常是遭遇精神疾病危机者的首批响应者，全国的警察部门正在与当地心理健康系统合作，为警员提供专门培训。本研究考察了危机干预小组（CIT）项目实施前后的警方调度数据，以评估该培训对警员处理报警电话方式的影响。
作者分析了俄亥俄州阿克伦市实施CIT项目前两年和后四年的警方调度日志，以确定与警方总体报警率相比，每月精神障碍报警电话的平均发生率、按时间和培训情况划分的精神障碍报警电话处理方式，以及相关技巧对处理自愿性的影响。
自培训项目实施以来，涉及可能患有精神疾病的报警电话数量和比例有所增加，接受CIT培训的警员将精神疾病危机患者送往紧急治疗机构的转送率上升，自愿转送率提高，且按时间或培训情况划分的逮捕率没有显著变化。
本研究结果表明，警察部门、心理健康系统、服务对象及其家庭成员之间的CIT合作关系，有助于努力协助遭遇精神疾病危机的人进入治疗系统，这类人通常在该系统中能得到最佳治疗。
