An innovative approach to people who are confused and in need of mental health support is available in the Netherlands. A so-called “psycholance” collects patients quietly when they need urgent help.
Mental health patients are often transported by police or ambulance, an experience that can be overly-stimulating. With the use of a psycholance, patients can feel more at ease.
“When neighbors or loved ones are concerned about a person with mental health problems, 112 [the Dutch emergency number] is often called,” regional nurse Jeannet Scholten said in an interview with RTL Nieuws.
Less stigma, less stress
“We don’t want to transport people like this in a police car or ambulance. That can sometimes have an escalating effect,” Scholten explains. “A psycholance is low in stimulus, for example, it has a soothing poster and no bells and whistles.”
A police car or ambulance implies “that person is dangerous,” while a psycholance more says “that person needs help,” she continues.
Police or ambulance staff often need to respond to mental health calls. “For the police these people are not the priority, and neither are they for a normal ambulance,” says Scholten. In comparison, a psycholance is staffed by mental health professionals, specifically trained to help people experiencing a mental health problem.
A growing program
Henk van Dijk, of the National Police and leader of the program “Personen met verward gedrag” (Person with confused behaviour) is pleased with the program. He says the responsibility often falls to the police, but the police aren’t social workers. His priority is better care for the people suffering. “That’s what we do it for.”
The program was first piloted in Amsterdam in 2014. Since then, the Dutch cities of Eindhoven, Rotterdam, and Groningen and the regions of Drenthe and Friesland have also created psycholances for the communities.
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Feature Image: UMCG Ambulancezorg/Supplied
