I agree with you. I'm sorry to hear about that and the case of that young man. Here in the UK, you don't get a criminal record for it per se, but the police keep a local file record on your mental health if they get involved or they're informed and it can be released under the "additional intelligence" box on an enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check which you need to have if you want to work with vulnerable adults or children or drugs, this isn't just your criminal convictions, but mental health info, known drug use info, relevant arrests (regardless of whether you were charged or not). I think it's very unethical and discriminatory, personally.

I don't know exactly how it works in Canada but somewhere I knew from there said that the RCMP wrote about her mental health in some sort of background check, which is why I said it in the OP.

I'm sorry to hear about that, even though you were manic, it sounds like a scary experience. Did you make a complaint? And did you get charged with anything or were you transferred to the mental health services? How does that kinda stuff work in Australia?

Anyways. Nice to see some replies. Much appreciated! I'll add my experiences. I apologise these are long stories. Feel free to tl;dr/skim lol.

In August 2010 when I was 17... but I was detained under Section 136 of the UK Mental Health Act. That (academic) year was ****, lots of things went wrong, I suffered something traumatic earlier that year (well end of 2009 actually), I was having issues with friendships and a failed relationship, and on top of that failed in Sixth Form, loads of stress just built up, basically. I was already planning to leave anyway, since I'd had enough of school, but it upset me, I felt like a failure. The day after the AS results were out I genuinely thought I had the bottle to throw myself off the top of a car park, I cut words into my legs and grabbed some money and got a bus into town. When I got there I realised I had no bottle to actually jump off, I was too scared to even get on the wall thing, I was scared of being seen, I just went to the slightly lower storey and tried ringing friends, my friend GP didn't answer, I had forgotten the numbers of two other friends so I rang my ex sorta on and off and just paced around. I didn't realise it but I was there for like 30 minutes, I didn't realise the CCTV was live and this security guard came out to confront me asking me what was wrong, I got confused and then freaked out when I saw two police officers, a man and a woman, walking up the stairs.
Anyway, they tried to talk to me when they confronted me, and when I tried to get away to throw myself down the staircase or something (I was really desperate) they jumped me and handcuffed me, of course I resisted, and two other coppers came up and helped. I was taken to the police station in the cage of the back of their van and then strip-searched (they found my self-harm cuts and believed I was hiding razorblades in my underwear), and I was kept in a cell for about six hours on suicide watch. I was mostly well treated, the main copper that detained me (a Sergeant) was very kind and attentive, the policewoman in my cell was a bit sarcastic and acted as if I was some attention seeking waste of time, and when I had my cuffs taken off they were acting as if they'd just caught the most dangerous serial killer or something, all careful and cautious, but it was mainly not too bad of an experience, I just couldn't get it off my mind for ages and I had damage in my wrists from the handcuffs for about 3 months. Oh and after my s.136 I was put in a psychiatric ward for 3 days, voluntarily.. I would've been sectioned otherwise.

In my second experience, it was really bad, it was only last year in June 2011 when I was 18, I was detained for being Drunk + Incapable (I think) I fell into this weird dark depression for no reason, I stopped speaking to friends and my sleeping pattern was weird. I stupidly decided after speaking to a friend I hadn't spoken to in a while get drunk on some wine and cream sherry and when I was drunk to cheer up I thought it'd be a good idea to go for some fresh air. Only I went and dropped my key on some grassy place and got dizzy looking for it and somewhat passed out, police find me and call an ambulance. In the ambulance the assisting police officers and paramedics strap me down and hold me down on the bed, laugh and insult me on the way there, I admit I was being flirtatious and agitated. At the hospital, I'm held down in an Obs Suite bed, with the usual bickering, and being held/pushed down with force (I'm a 5'4" girl, these are all built men, them and the security guards). One of the policemen was this ex Royal Military Policemen, he was the worst, he and his colleague held me in a wristlock and he deliberately bent it backwards hard to give me an "example" of what would happen if I talked anymore crap or resisted, this was whilst my blood pressure was being taken. I asked him if he was getting off on that.. and he said yeah, that he actually said became a cop to do things like this to people and because he enjoys locking people up for a living, bloody psycho himself, his colleague just sucked up to him.

I don't remember that much, but I do remember they handcuffed me to both the railings of the bed and threatened to arrest me for Drunk + Disorderly and Assault, despite the fact I didn't assault anyone, only resisted them hitting me and holding me down and etc. The security guards were worse.. they pushed me and held me down even harder, after the cops had gone I nearly got out, I couldn't stand being in hospital, so they rammed my face (nose) against the wall, one of them stood in the door way of my room/cell thing with his arms out, and I admit to calling him a thug, a grunt, a twat, etc. because he's the one that did it. I was told around then I was gonna be held for an extra few hours because at some point I had expressed a desire to kill myself and asked the police to get in an armed unit to shoot me. The nurse (who was *****y and patronising) complained about how they wished I'd said nothing so they'd get rid of me sooner, and the security guard said he agreed and that I should just go and commit suicide, I was pushed on the floor when I tried to get out (again) after coming back from the toilet.. oh and I had male security assist me to the toilet as well, I was told I couldn't complain because of my suicidal and resistant behaviour and lack of resources. I was denied a chance to phone my parents when I asked the nurse politely. So, after all that I fell asleep for a few hours and I saw a doctor on the advice of the Crisis Team (I suspect it wasn't a formal assessment) who wanted to have me back in the psych ward, I said no and no to meds as well, she went to get a psychiatrist to try and maybe section me or something, but he sided with me on the condition I allowed the Crisis Team to come over the next day, which they did. My parents had no clue where I was in those hours, as I was supposed to be at college, they called the police who had no idea where I was and etc. so I was classified as a High Risk Missing Person for a few hours (my parents suspected I may have went and attempted suicide again), after I got out of hospital I had to sit in their car outside my home and sign a release form to get my name taken off the police national computer. In my medical records I was written down as being "resistant to treatment" and "abusive to staff" which is why I never pursued a complaint.

I am not sure how much of this would appear on a CRB check or whatever, I don't think the second episode was because they didn't get my name and details until after the police had left, except for fact I was missing. I acknowledge that I was in some aspects stupid in the second incident, but I still don't believe I deserved to be mistreated or verbally abused. My memory is a little foggy, since I was drunk obviously, so there's gaps in memory. I am scared of getting drunk now because that's how unpredictable I am, especially whilst depressed, I got drunk in year 11 at school twice, but thats another long story.. me and alcohol don't mix! And yeah, surprisingly I didn't have any broken ribs or a broken nose, but my body was in pain for about two weeks afterwards.

Never again, I hope. Thanks for reading if you did anyway .....