In Florida it is actually extremely easy to get someone locked up in a mental hospital for 72 hours. You go to a courthouse and fill out a two-sided paper. It is called an ex Parte order. Then a judge rubber stamps it. Then the police go to the person's house and have the authority from the judge to do whatever it takes to put the person into custody and bring them to a mental hospital. I have been a victim of this paper terrorism style attack. Someone filled out the form with complete fabricated stories and I was locked in a mental hospital for 3 days. I had no ability to see a judge to defend myself. I requested a writ of habeas corpus from the court while in the mental hospital and was never brought to a judge. Now it is on my record in the databases police use for the rest of my life and I will likely never be able to get a security clearance.

Even assuming this isn't abused as in your experience, it would seem sending people with guns to the home of someone in such mental distress that involuntary admission to a psychiatric facility is necessary is probably not the ideal approach.

Depends on the state. Having the cops called at least has a record of the incident. If you’re willing to post a recording sign at your place and get a record of their behavior, it would also be a starting point to clear up any arguments or for further steps.

In some places there is a step where if a person is a danger to them self or others, you can fill out a form for court appointed psych out patient therapy.

You can get an involuntary hold on someone but then getting them out can be difficult and expensive. It may take a doctor, nurse, EMT, cop, and/or judge to agree with you and they see the truly crazy people who really need a bed.

Other than that, trying to barter with the person, or a cop. Depends on the size of the city.

Keep in mind, there could be backlash and failure to get them help. We had to cut a friend and her husband from our circle because all steps failed. We grew tired of the same repeated stories with slightly different plots. The person tried to get other friends fired by making up stories. I feel like we did all we could and needed to move on with our lives.

If memory serves... In the 60s and 70s there was a regular drumbeat of stories of people who had been committed against their will, usually for money-related reasons. So there came a wave of legal reform. Perhaps a bridge too far ?

Most (some?) states allow you to place a 72 hour hold on someone. I was on the receiving end of such a hold around a decade ago and it changed my life dramatically for the better. That being said, I was one of the lucky ones who wanted the help, and did the work to make it work, which took substantially longer than 72 hours.

I also wound up on a 72 hour hold prior to that in the county detox (picked up while drunk by cops) and immediately started drinking the moment I left, so it can take more than one commitment to prompt change, if change is ever prompted.

Do keep in mind that you might irreparably damage a relationship by committing someone against their will, YMMV.