4 years ago my 15 year old son had what we believe to be a manic break. I've talked a bit about it on here but it's my son's business and I'm not going to elaborate again. We had to have him 51/50'd. I lost my mind and became very suicidal while having lots of energy. My husband called 911 for an ambulance to come take me. I tried running away, leaving the house, jumping out windows but my husband would "detain me". Instead of an ambulance, the police showed up. Because I had been trying to leave the house and my husband kept grabbing me from windows and other places, he had a scratch on his chest. The police put me in cuffs and the women cop argued with the male cop who kept saying he didn't agree. My husband begged then to take me to the hospital. If I would have told them my husband got the scratch because he was detaining me, he would have been hauled in for domestic violence too so I couldn't say anything. The female police officer put me in her car and said "don't you love your kids, what kind of mother wants to kill herself". I was DELUTIONAL and thought I was doing my kids a favor. This cops words were not helpful, they were harmful.

I was taken to the station, stripped down naked while all the male cops peeked over this small partition they put up to protect my privacy. What a joke. I was gawked at, made to pull my butt cheeks open while 20 people, mostly men gawked and giggled. They threw me in a rubber type room which very bright lights and FREEZING air blowing on you. It was a drunk tank and perhaps that is helpful for drunks but it was torture for me. I was hallucinating badly and so cold because I had no clothes....just this tiny sleeveless vest. I had to go to the bathroom in a dirty hole in the ground. I was on my period and they made me take out my tampon so I was bleeding everywhere. I was so cold and asked for a blanket and they screamed "we don't give blankets to people who threaten to kill them selves". I was being tortured for 18 hours when finally the therapist/doctor arrived. I told him what happened....he called my husband and got the story....I had been writing my PDOC for help before this all happened and this doc knew my PDOC. He said, she is to be released now. The lady who refused me the blanket got huffy and said "you're letting her go" and he firmly said "she shouldn't even be here" in a very angry tone. He stood by me and got me released super quick. I was tormented in so many ways that night. Police are not trained to help the mentally ill and are useless 90% of the time in these cases. I was going to sue. What they did to me is all on surveillance cameras. One lady who told me to strip and put my clothes in the corner almost billy clubbed me when I threw my clothes in the corner and they came within 12 inches of touching her. A really good reason to raise and start swinging a deadly weapon right?

When I am a bit better I plan to work on rights of the mentally ill in the prison and write a letter about my experience. I plan to fight and insist that ALL first responders be MUCH MORE educated on how to work with the mentally ill.

A few months after this happened to me an up and coming actress who just stared in a big movie with Meryl Streep had a mental health breakdown and the cops came after her. Because of the harassment she received from police in the past...she ran and ended up entering a wooded area, falling and breaking her neck and dying. Avoidable tragedy if the cops had done things correct with her the first time.

Not all cops are bad but many have HUGE power trips and need education to knock them out of it and teach them to protect and serve, rather than torment and control.

This is very hard for me to write.....it's been 4 years but I'm still terrified of police.