In the US, police officers spend about a fifth of their time responding to mental health crises. This is something they are often not trained for, and figures also show that people with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter. We go to Arizona where some 911 calls are now being responded to by mental health professionals who are trained to de-escalate a situation and help someone experiencing a crisis to get the support they need. This is part of a trend across the United States where a new nationwide mental health helpline called 988 has also recently been launched. We also visit Denmark, where people going to their doctor with mental health issues are being prescribed ‘culture vitamins’ in an effort to tackle anxiety, stress and depression. Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer/US reporter: Craig Langran Denmark reporter: Adrienne Murray Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound Mix: Andrew Mills (People in Aalborg, Denmark on street art tour, Adrienne Murray)
People fixing.
People fixing the world.
Welcome to People Fixing the World from the BBC World Service, a show that's all about solutions.
And you could call me your solutions Captain.
I'm Mayra Anubi, and every week I take you around the world to meet the people who are trying to fix some of the most pressing problems we face today.
Now, this week we'll be visiting a 911 emergency call center in the US and then trying a different kind of vitamin in Denmark, all to find out about new ideas that are helping people manage mental health conditions.
Now we're hearing a lot about mental health.
In fact, according to the World Health Organization, one in eight people have a mental health condition.
So, for example, anxiety, depression, eating disorders and so many others.
And there's still a lot of stigma and discrimination against people who experience these conditions.
Now, this often makes it hard for people to get help.
And when they do eventually find some access to mental health support, the systems in place aren't always fit for purpose.
But that's where our solutions today come in.
We'll hear about a couple of projects that are trying to improve mental health treatment.
And to start us off, we're heading to the U.S.
now, in America, when people need urgent help with mental health, often they pick up the phone and call their emergency number, 911.
And when this happens, in most cases, police will show up.
But mental health advocates have long argued that police aren't the best equipped to deal with these type of situations.
And according to our reporter Craig Langren, things are starting to change.
Hi, Craig.