There is a need to maximize understanding of conditions under which officers are most likely to use lethal force when interacting with persons with severe mental illness (SMI) and whether utilization of a mental health professional (MHP) serves to reduce use of force (UoF) severity. Using a mixed methods concurrent triangulation design framework, this exploratory study examined UoF with individuals exhibiting signs of psychosis and whether police-MHP partnerships decrease UoF severity. Findings indicate officers use more severe forms of force with armed individuals displaying signs of psychosis and that MHP presence did not reduce force severity in such cases. Qualitative themes provide context for these findings and include (1) concerns for MHP safety, (2) planned collaborations support safety, and (3) MHPs support de-escalation. Discussion highlights a need for increased officer education on SMI, appropriate de-escalation strategies, co-created engagement/disengagement protocols for MHPs, and defined standards of practice for police-mental health collaborations.

中文翻译：

---

警察与精神卫生伙伴关系和患有严重精神疾病的人：关于感知风险和使用武力的探索性研究

有必要最大限度地了解警察在与严重精神疾病患者（SMI）互动时最有可能使用致命武力的情况，以及使用心理健康专业人员（MHP）是否有助于减少武力的使用（UoF）严重程度。这项探索性研究使用混合方法并发三角测量设计框架，检查了表现出精神病迹象的个体的 UoF 以及警察与 MHP 的伙伴关系是否会降低 UoF 的严重程度。调查结果表明，警察对表现出精神病迹象的武装人员使用了更严厉的武力形式，并且 MHP 的存在并没有减轻此类案件中武力的严重性。定性主题为这些发现提供了背景，包括 (1) 对 MHP 安全的担忧，(2) 计划的合作支持安全，以及 (3) MHP 支持降级。讨论强调需要加强警官对 SMI 的教育、适当的降级策略、共同制定 MHP 的接触/脱离协议以及明确的警察与心理健康合作的实践标准。