Responding to a High-Profile Tragic Incident Involving a Person with a Serious Mental Illness

This toolkit from the Council of State Governments Justice Center, in partnership with the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, offers practical tips for managing a crisis involving a person with a history or current diagnosis of serious mental illness. It was written for state mental health commissioners as a resource to help prepare for, manage, and evaluate responses to any violent incidents. State commissioners are expected to explain such events; under high-pressure situations there is no time to “come up to speed” so preparing for these rare but highly visible tragedies makes it possible to speed the healing process for victims, to avoid adverse consequences for people with mental illnesses, and to continue educating the public and policymakers on the need for effective systems of treatment and support.