According to (GCU,2023), Mental illness or mental health is ahealth condition that affects a person’s mood, thinking, and behavior. In my mind, there is an alarming wave of mental illness issue that the government needs to deal with , but due to lack of frequent assessment, psychological evaluation, andcouple with the state of denial, it is difficult to make upright determination.
However, mental illness situations are handled from an enforcement approach as compare to care approach. It might surprise some people to know that a World Health Organization (WHO) survey conducted in 2016 estimated that one in five of Liberia’s population experienced a mental disorder. Additionally, a 2008 study by Harvard University found that 40% of Liberians had symptoms of major depression and 44%had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with the country’s civil war being a significant contributing factor. Other studies have found that more than 40%of Liberians suffer from PTSD related to the war. While the awareness on mental illness might be lacking, but its existence in the community is huge and has a negative effect, thus making health professionals local and international to raise alarm. A World Health Organization survey conduct 2016 pointed that money and funding for mental illness is severely lacking. That survey featured both assertions from John Mahony of World Health Organization and Mamuyah Cooper of Liberia’ s number psychiatric hospital, E.S. Grant. Ifall the people staying here received the medication they need, the average stay would be much shorter than it is now” (Cooper,2016). Interestingly, individuals with mental illness are integral part of the community, and it is likely some of coming in contacting with law. With those alarming reports being published by the world bigger health organization and its international partner, it is just fair enough to ask the question, whose shoulders the greater burden as it relates to the criminal justice system?
I think law enforcement, particularly being the first line of contact within the justice system has got that statutory responsible to protect community safety and the welfare of citizens who cannot care for themselves. There is no doubt, mental illness problems within the community have increased and it is a serious issue to be considered in our today’s Liberia. As mental health problems within the community have increased since post war Liberia, the issue of inpatient services is one of the major challenges. Substance abuse among the youthful population is also a contributing factor that should be underestimated. Therefore, the Liberia National Police have to meet the growing needs of individuals suffering with mental health emergencies. Police officers are not only the first responders to these crises but often are the only source of immediate service for urgent mental health activities. It is also important to state that various efforts to address mental illnesses in the community are instituted without the Liberia National Police involvement. Additionally, it is equally important to mention that one of the reasons law enforcement is heavily burdened with mental illness issue is due to the lack of enough inpatient care, which is causing individuals with mental illness not to be admitted on a long term basis, instead, they are seen, treated for two or three days, discharged, and after one or two days law enforcement, particularly the police is called back into the community to take that individual out of the community again. I do believe that the three components of the justice system have got a vital role, which makes it to be burdened on those components, but the police bear the greater burden. I think a classic example is the 911 hotline calls that go to the police whenever an individual is perceived as a mental illness affected person in the community. Police often respond to those callswithout the requisite training to assess the person condition andsubsequently have that person transported to the hospital. In the event, a crime is committed, police will have to charge that individual and send him/her to court. Meanwhile, the court gets burden when individuals with mental illness need to be formally identified and assessed for appropriate care, or to determine that person mental stability. Of course, that is a totally different process from the immediate on-scene response that the police provide. From practical experiences, people suffering from mental illness often live in a state of denial, and that is while the assessment is important to be done. From a legal perspective a law was enacted in 2017 titled” Mental Health Act “that serves as primary mental illness legislation. It focuses on a human rights based-approach to care which aims to improve access to quality mental healthcare, prevent discrimination, and protect the rights and property of individuals with mental health conditions. However, legal and paralegal scholars continue to that argue that the law is not being adhered, as the mistreatment and human rights abuse are perpetrated against individuals with mental illness on a daily basis without robust intervention. Aclass example was in the moth October of this year when a team of officers from the Liberia National Police with no training on mental illness cases went to arrest a guy identified as Mattew Mulbah in the Congo Town community, a situation that led to the police using lethal force and Matthew losing his life. A moral dilemma that brought the police under enormous criticisms. I don’t believe that those police officers had the intention to kill Matthew. I share the thought that the lack of training is attributed to such a sad incident. I think, an individual with mental illness had lost social control, therefore dealing with such person requires being calmed, an active listener, and avoid directly challenging his/her reality or giving unsolicited advice.Another moral dilemma is the prison facilities in Liberia, where correction officers with no prior training often keep mental illness pre-trial detainees and prisoners in isolated cells, instead of providing them adequate care. Ironically, correction officers that should be providing or seeking means for caregiving are the very ones that mistakenly viewed mental illness as a sign of being cursed or possessed rather than considering it as a treatable medical condition.
Identifying policies and programs aimed at alleviating the problem.
Having conducted extensive research and have seen the need for a most collective and robust approach to illness issues, I feel it is expedient to recommend programs and policies that will adequately address mental illness cases. I have attached below a simplified version for the public perusal and better understanding;
Social support and community: affordable housing programs and the establishment of group homes to provide necessary living and support structures.
Family and parenting support programs: can also have a positive impact on mental well-being.
Good working environment: workplace policies can support mental health through inclusive language, flexible management approaches, while providing a supportive environment.
Suicide prevention: establishing a hotline for suicide and crisis lifeline cases, consider confidential support for anyone in distress.
Responsible media coverage: is a public health strategy to reduce the risk of contagion and to provide the public with broader understanding about mental illness related cases.
Coordinated specialty care: diagnosis for early psychosis and the provision of urgent treatment or care.
Inpatient care: the establishment of more facilities to keep individuals while under treatment.
Intensive outpatient programs: can help individuals with severe mental illness who live in the community.
Finally, my Liberian people, mental illness is a treatable sick that comes about as a result of various situations which is common in our Liberian society, it is not a result of what many of our people called “witchcraft business”. That thinking is amisconception, we us all work together to get rid of the misconception to save our community.
Written by: Monroe A.Dennis,II former Liberian National Police Officer and Security Expert.
