At this point I have to say that if anyone in NSW, Australia is thinking of suicidal thoughts - do NOT call the police, or anyone in the Public Health Service. This absolutely includes the Ambulance Service.

Why? Because of the following:

  20 Detention on information of ambulance officer [1]
  
  (1) An ambulance officer who provides ambulance 
  services in relation to a person may take the person 
  to a declared mental health facility if the officer 
  believes on reasonable grounds that the person appears 
  to be mentally ill or mentally disturbed and that it 
  would be beneficial to the person’s welfare to be dealt 
  with in accordance with this Act.
  
  (2) An ambulance officer may request police 
  assistance if of the opinion that there are serious 
  concerns relating to the safety of the person or other 
  persons if the person is taken to a mental health 
  facility without the assistance of a police officer

Then section 21 defines "police assistance":

Police assistance [2]

  (1) A police officer to whose notice a police assistance 
  endorsement on a mental health certificate, or a request
  for assistance by an ambulance officer under this Division,
  is brought must, if practicable:
  
  (a) apprehend and take or assist in taking the person the 
  subject of the certificate or request to a declared 
  mental health facility, or
  
  (b) cause or make arrangements for some other police 
  officer to do so.
  
  (2) A police officer may enter premises to apprehend 
  a person under this section, and may apprehend any such 
  person, without a warrant and may exercise any powers 
  conferred by section 81 on a person who is authorised 
  under that section to take a person to a mental health
  facility or another health facility.

I'm sure people in the U.S. Can see how problematic this is. And - it's not just an abstract concept to me, it happened to me several months ago.

1. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/mha2007128...

2. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/mha2007128...

When the police get involved with mental illness in the US, you're at risk of ending up dead: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article90905442.....

I once overheard: "Not sure if you want to take your own life? Call the police and they'll help that right along."

Lately the news I've been reading coming out of the U.S. seems to show there are a lot of reasons you can end up dead because of the police.

I know many people who, in the UK, have been detained under section 136 of the mental health act. This is a power given to police to detain people who are in public and mentally ill.

We're trying hard to reduce the numbers of these detentions; to make sure that any that happen are always appropriate; and to change the location of the detention from police cells to health-based places of safety.

While detention under s136 has problems, and should be avoided, and needs vigorous checks and balances, it undoubtedly saves lives.

Sure, if they are in public. What if they are in their own home, sleeping?