Mental health important topic in vice-presidential debate | Courtesy of Shutterstock
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Amanda Rupp | Oct 9, 2016

Mental health important topic in vice-presidential debate

During the vice-presidential debate, Elaine Quijano, the debate moderator from CBS, asked the nominees, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Gov. Mike Pence (R-IN), about police officers being the last line of defense in the nation’s broken mental health system.

"We're asking cops to do too much in this country,” Police Chief David Brown said after the Dallas shooting. “Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. Not enough mental health funding, not enough drug addiction funding, schools fail -- let's give it to the cops."

Many health experts are relieved that mental health has grown into a mainstream discussion. This topic affects all Americans -- especially first responders and police officers; when people have mental health emergencies and don’t know who to call, they contact 9-1-1, making law enforcement agencies the first responders to mental health crises.

Since 1988, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has partnered with local and state organizations and law enforcement agencies to develop Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs. These programs allow law enforcement to handle difficult situations that require service and safety for the officers as well as the victims.

The next U.S. president and vice president could make a significant difference in improving the U.S. mental health system. NAMI hopes the next U.S. leaders will improve health care, decrease suicide rates and reduce stigmatism against mental health through election conversations about mental health.

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