Posted on: 22 June 2023
António Ferreira, a former mental health service user, speaker and now activist tells CNWL about his new campaign Hear Me Speak, which is backed by the charity Beyond and seeks to strengthen legislation, guidance and training around policing within a mental health crisis.
Antonio was a teenager when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
During college his mental health declined further and he began hearing voices telling him to take his own life.
His mental health worker helped but when things got worse his psychiatrist alerted emergency services.
The series of events that followed were extremely distressing for him and Antonio often reflects on how things could have been handled differently.
“As soon as they turned up I was arrested for affray… “ Antonio says “…even though my family reassured them that I was no risk to them or others and I just needed help. I really believe the officer who arrested me understood my situation too; they checked with their sergeant who said they had to arrest me.”
He was placed in a cell overnight and eventually taken to hospital with a police escort. He was then admitted under voluntary section to a mental health unit.
Antonio says “The entire experience was completely humiliating. I carried so much resentment for so long. But resentment doesn’t get your anywhere.
“As a young black man, I want to walk this journey together with the police to support those in crisis. I want to make a positive difference and support long term change.”
He’s now embracing his studies “I’m a student in my final year of psychology with neuroscience.”
“Things have improved since then. With Section 136 for instance you can’t be detained for more than 24 hours and they can’t use custody as a place of safety. But there is so much more to do. I want officers to be given better training and guidance and I believe that input needs to come from someone with lived experience – like me - to build compassion, restore confidence and work together for better outcomes. There is no need to use a criminal act rather than the mental health act. That’s the only way to bring about real change.”
To find out more and support the campaign visit their visit and view the timeline here The Timeline – Hear Me Speak
Beyond is a youth mental health charity of which Antonio is a youth member. The campaign is now in phase one with the ultimate goal to develop a training package that is embedded in law.