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Calling 911 for a mental health crisis can be fatal, especially for Black and disabled children.

Black children are disproportionately restrained and sedated in psychiatric emergency rooms.

For autistic children, the ER's chaos and sensory overwhelm can escalate a crisis rather than calm it.

Alternatives to 911 and the ER exist—and every family deserves to know about them before a crisis happens.

In March 2024, a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy shot and killed Ryan Gainer in his own backyard. Ryan was 15 years old, autistic, and in crisis—and his family had called 911 for help. Officers said he approached them holding a garden tool. Within moments, he was dead.

Ryan Gainer is not an anomaly. Approximately one in five fatal police shootings in the United States involves someone with a mental illness. Ryan was also Black, and Black children are six times more likely to be shot to death by police than white children. Disabled children—especially those who are autistic, neurodivergent, or in psychiatric crisis—are disproportionately at risk.

This piece is for every family navigating a child's mental health crisis. It is especially for Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, and disabled families, who face the greatest danger from a system that was not built to protect them.

The Standard Approach for Mental Health Crisis Care

"If you or your child is having a psychiatric emergency, please hang up and call 911 or go to your closest emergency room." Virtually all mental health providers feature this statement in their voicemail recordings. Prominent organizations like the National Alliance for Mental Illness and the American Academy of Child........

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