Author(s):
Stephanie Maier & Kerstin Dittrich-Gessnitzer

Institution:
Landesamt für Ausbildung, Fortbildung und Personalangelegenheiten der Polizei NRW, Hochschule des Bundes für öffentliche Verwaltung

Title:
Recognising mental states instead of identifying disorders

Abstract:
Previous concepts of police education and further training for interactions with persons suffering from mental illnesses concentrated on imparting disorder patterns in order to decide which police behavior is deescalating and goal-oriented. However, making a diagnosis requires time and expertise; demands that are not feasible in everyday police work. In order to solve this dilemma, a new approach for interactions with mentally ill persons is presented for police practice. Here, it is proposed to focus on the recognition of mental states that are relevant to the police and easily recognisable by laypersons: Anxiety, agitation, despair, hyperactivity, delusions, hallucinations, and aggressiveness/impulsivity. These mental states in various combinations not only represent police relevant mental disorder patterns, but also provide a guideline for de-escalating police action in other exceptional mental situations (e. g. escalated conflicts, interaction with victims). This results in a variety of advantages for police practice as well as for education and further training.

S. 36-45