Typically, the first step toward seeking support for mental health issues is to start with friends, family, and therapists. But there are some instances where involving law enforcement is necessary. It is especially important to call in the professionals if you’re concerned someone will hurt themselves or someone else, including yourself.
If you’re worried someone’s mental illness will lead to a dangerous situation, there is a way to involve a peace officer and ensure that person gets a proper psychiatric evaluation. It’s called a 5150.
5150 in more detail
A 5150 hold is part of California’s legislative codes (the Welfare and Institutions Code, to be precise). It gets its name from the number of the section of the code where you can find it. It’s section 5150 under Article 1, “Detention of Mentally Disordered Persons for Evaluation and Treatment.” If you want to explore this part of state law for yourself, you can read the full text here.
Essentially, a 5150 gives the state the ability to hold someone in custody for up to 72 hours to provide them with a psychiatric evaluation that will determine their level of safety. You can initiate this type of hold if the person is:
– A danger to themselves
– A danger to others
– Gravely disabled, meaning they are unable to take care of themselves
If you begin to experience excessive worry about the physical safety of someone in your life due to their presenting mental health issues, this might be a route to consider. If your 5150 hold is successful (meaning law enforcement can locate the person), it will connect them to an attending psychiatrist at a local psychiatric facility. That psychiatrist can then decide whether or not that person would benefit from additional care in a psychiatric hospital.
The 5150 hold only lasts for 72 hours. However, if the attending psychiatrist wants the person under the hold to get more care, they can issue a 5250. That gets that person into up to 14 days of intensive psychiatric treatment.
Getting the best outcome from a 5150
To initiate a 5150, you call 911 and tell them you want to start this process.
Many counties — including Ventura County — have a team of Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT) officers. That means these individuals have taken extra hours of training to help them handle psychiatric emergencies. Try and request that the officers deployed to the scene are CIT officers. The County should comply with your request as long as CIT officers are available.
Ideally, you want to have the officers show up to a safe environment. To preserve this, try to meet them outside. This gives you time to brief them on the situation. If it’s safe for you to do so, you can then let the officers inside and tell the person you want to 5150 that they’re here to talk. The officers should take it from there.
Before they leave, ask the CIT team where they’re taking your friend or family member. That’s usually the closest emergency department, a Crisis Stabilization Unit, or one of the County’s psychiatric hospitals, like Hillmont Psychiatric Center.
A 5150 hold can give you a way to initiate psychiatric care for someone in your life that you’re truly worried about. It’s a big step, though, so make sure you do your homework first. Ventura County Behavioral Health has an informative guide that can help.
So can we. If you want to get a trained mental health professional by your side as you navigate this challenging situation, don’t hesitate to reach out. One of our therapists can help you move forward, caring for your loved one while taking care of yourself in what’s probably a heartbreaking situation for you. You don’t have to go through it alone, so reach out.
