Greek police officers' attitudes towards the mentally ill.

The deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill and their shift into the community lead the police to play an important role in the management of acute psychiatric states. This study examines the attitudes of the Greek police towards the mentally ill, and the problems that arise during the transfer of mentally ill people to psychiatric emergency departments. Results highlight policemen misperceptions, and the difficulties encountered during transport procedures, which may be attributed to insufficient knowledge about mental illness and lack of training, respectively. Furthermore, this article discusses the need for police educational intervention, and the formation of specialized teams to improve the handling of mentally ill in crisis situations.