When someone living with a mental illness experiences an episode or other form of crisis, there is often a need to contact emergency services – ambulance, police, or a psychiatric crisis team if available. There may be a visit to a hospital emergency department and sometimes admission to a mental health ward.

The latest SANE Research Bulletin is investigating how well emergency services respond to help people with a mental illness.

What support do they offer to family and friends? And how do they treat patients with a mental illness?

If you or someone close to you has had this experience, please visit www.sane.org and complete the short survey.

SANE Australia will use the findings to advocate on behalf of people affected by mental illness.

The SANE Helpline – 1800 18 SANE (7263) – is available if you want to discuss any issues raised by the survey.