Mandatory mental health treatment is not common. Nevertheless, this is sometimes necessary, such as when a person may be a danger to himself or others or in a crisis situation where rapid intervention is required. When a crisis intervention is being considered, a person always has the right to a hearing. CIT handles this application.
At last year’s turn of the year, CIT HvB was the first to be allowed to use the hearing rights. Hearing rights mean that the person who may be subject to a crisis measure is heard by an independent person. This could be done by someone from CIT, for example, or by the municipality itself. The person may answer a series of set questions that will be sent along to the mayor in a report. Who takes the answers into his or her consideration.
Since the corona outbreak, hearing rights have been handled only by telephone. And that’s always surprising. We are available 24/7, so you never know when the phone will ring again. In addition, of course, the person on the line is also different each time. Sometimes someone is approachable and can answer the questions well. Some agree with the crisis measure, others do not agree at all. They let it be heard. Every now and then a conversation goes very awkwardly, making asking questions enormously difficult. People are confused, or angry, which sometimes leads to extraordinary scenes.
What is paramount is that we try to have every conversation with great patience. After all, it is a right for the person in question to be heard. Every opinion counts. We always try to bring that forward at CIT.