Crisis Centers for diverse community needs

Crisis Warmlines (offers emotional support staffed by peers with lived experience)

Crisis Hotlines (offers help for those experiencing suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis)

Specialized crisis hotlines and warmlines are available for veterans, youth, LGBTQ+ callers, tribal communities, postpartum support, elder support, and others.t goes here

Even when hospitals cannot disclose information back to family members due to privacy laws, families can still provide important medical and behavioral history to providers.

Learn about Form 1424 from NAMI Contra Costa

Consider keeping:

• a timeline of events

• discharge paperwork

• medication lists

• names of providers

• crisis history

• emergency contacts

Some families have found that organized factual records are easier for clinical staff to incorporate into care planning than conclusions.

California behavioral health systems are county administered. Access pathways, terminology, forms, and use of legal authorities may differ substantially between counties.

Patients may sometimes be discharged even when family members or others remain concerned about the person's wellbeing. Hospitals must balance patient rights, clinical assessments, legal standards, available resources, and emergency system demands when making discharge decisions.

There are questions families may consider asking before discharge. Hospitals are not required to answer all of these questions, and some answers may be limited by privacy law or clinical judgment. The list is offered as a starting point for what families have found useful to ask:

• What diagnosis, medications, and follow-up care were arranged?

• Who is responsible for care coordination after discharge?

• What county resources were contacted, and was the patient screened for housing?

• Was conservatorship evaluated? Is the patient eligible for a CARE Court referral?

• What symptoms should trigger emergency return, and what crisis line should be used?

• Can the family provide additional history or records to the care team?

If you have questions about discharge from the hospital or long term care facilities, see these links.

State and federal privacy laws can sometimes limit what medical care providers can share with others without patient consent, but no law limits what you can tell the care provider.

People with untreated schizophrenia spectrum or other qualifying psychotic disorders, including bipolar 1 with psychosis, may qualify for CARE Court proceedings under California law. Families considering whether CARE Court may apply to a loved one's situation can review the official California Courts CARE Act information page, consult with a California-licensed attorney familiar with the CARE Act, or contact a self-help clinic where available.

• Filing a CARE Petition

• Self-help centers may be offered in your county superior court.

• California law includes additional court related evaluation procedures beyond short term emergency detention statutes such as WIC 5150.

• Availability and implementation of WIC 5200 procedures may depend on county practices, court procedures, and local agency policies. Some counties rarely use the process or may use different terminology.

  Families may contact county behavioral health departments and consider asking:

  • whether WIC 5200 procedures are utilized

  • where requests are directed

  • whether forms exist

  • what screening process is used

  • what are alternative options when 5150 holds have not been sufficient to access care

  • For more information, see our paper: The Lost Legal Pathway to Mental Health Care: WIC 5200

California County Behavioral Health Departments are generally responsible for:

• public behavioral health services

• crisis response systems

• conservatorship investigations

• CARE Court coordination

• outpatient and inpatient treatment programs

• providing access to mental health care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries

• County Mental Health Plan Access Lines

LPS Conservatorship

LPS conservatorships are court ordered mental health conservatorships used in limited circumstances for people who may be gravely disabled due to mental disorder. Only designated county agencies are authorized to initiate LPS conservatorship investigations and referrals.

Probate Conservatorship

Probate conservatorships are different from LPS conservatorships and are generally used for people who need help managing personal or financial affairs.

Probate conservatorships generally do not authorize involuntary psychiatric treatment or placement unless additional statutory findings are made related specifically to major neurocognitive disorders.

• Self-help centers may be offered in your county superior court.

• Learn about mental health conservatorships (LPS). Only a county designated agency can file.

• Alternatives to conservatorship that families sometimes explore include supported decision-making, powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives, and trust arrangements. The court self-help site has more information (see court self-help site)

• Some people may qualify for services through California’s developmental disability system.

• Regional Centers provide services and support for eligible people with developmental disabilities. Services may include:

  • case management

  • supported living services

  • respite care

  • behavioral services

  • employment support

  • housing assistance

• Limited Probate Conservatorships

• Counties manage public behavioral health systems

  • LPS Designated Facilities

  • Behavioral Health Departments

  • Medi-Cal Office

• Hospitals make clinical and legal determinations regarding admission, treatment, and discharge.

• Courts oversee CARE Court and conservatorships

• Law enforcement (911) responds to immediate safety concerns

• Regional Centers support developmental disabilities

• Understanding system limits: California behavioral health systems involve multiple independent agencies operating under different laws, resources, and responsibilities. Families may receive different answers from hospitals, counties, law enforcement, courts, or service providers because each entity operates under different authority and standards.

• In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS)

• Housing support programs

• BenefitsCal (food resources)

• California Medi-Cal Information

• Social Security Disability Benefits

Some California communities and nonprofit organizations operate voluntary reunification programs that help unhoused people reconnect with family or trusted support systems.

• San Francisco’s Journey Home

• Miracle Messages (multi-state)

• City of San Diego’s Family Reunification Program

• Grave Disability Workgroup of CA (articles and resources)

• Foundation for Life (survivor-led organization

• NAMI California)

• Housing that Heals (mom on a mission)

• Families Advocating for the Severely Mentally Ill (FASMI of Alameda county)

• National Shattering Silence Coalition (NSSC)

• Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC)

• Psych/Armor (support for service members, caregivers, and their families.

• SAMHSA Behavioral Health Resources