‘Silent Killer’ takes a toll in Memphis, Shelby County

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some call it the “Silent Killer” — mental health is often not talked about but is definitely taking a toll in Memphis, Shelby County and around the county.

It’s an illness that may not be seen, but is definitely felt.

“Here in Memphis we believe it is one of the leading causes of disability, of challenges for people who wind up being incarcerated, for our  young people who wind up in the juvenile justice system and under the custody of DCS,” said Dr. Althea Stewart, with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Dr. Stewart is the Senior Associate Dean for Community Health Engagement at the UTHSC. She says every community is experiencing emotional distress in handling problems and challenges.

“We are seeing people who are challenged by the stress, the trauma of living in violent communities, violent homes and having to deal with these things on a regular basis. It’s creating intense emotional distress in many people in our population here in Memphis,” Stewart said.

Nationally, 1 in 4 people suffer from some level of mental health challenge or distress.

Stewart says national data says everyone knows someone in their immediate circle who is suffering with a mental illness.

“It doesn’t care how much money you make, religion, whatever, like that. It affects everybody,” says Brandy Flynn, a Mental Health Specialist in Memphis.

She says the key is to make it easier to talk about.

“If we bring awareness to it and if we know, hey, you know, depression does run in my family or schizophrenia or bipolar runs in my family. Well, let me go ahead and place myself in a position that I can better myself. So, if it does happen to me I know how to deal with,” says Flynn.

In some instances, if not addressed, mental illness can be deadly, with the person in crisis harming themselves or someone else.

“Not only in that the number of people with mental illness who are being picked up and incarcerated has increased, but the number of interactions that result in deadly outcomes may also be increasing in Memphis and around the country,” says Dr. Stewart.

We have seen instances where mental health breakdowns led to deadly consequences when a person is acting in what’s considered a threatening or violent manner and law enforcement is called.

Last August, an Osceola man whose family says had mental issues was shot and killed by police after they say he pointed a gun at them.

“That’s not the type of force that law enforcement is supposed to use on a mental patient, you know,” the man’s wife told WREG after the incident.

But Memphis broke ground on what is now CIT, or Crisis Intervention Team, training.

“The MPD Program for CIT began in Memphis as a response to law enforcement engaging people and recognizing when in fact there are lethal circumstances and when in fact they can approach in a different manner,” says Stewart.

But we have seen recent deadly encounters when it comes to mental health of those incarcerated.

The Shelby County Jail is now facing lawsuits by families of men who died behind bars.

Marcus McDonald’s family says he had a mental health crisis in May of 2022. He was detained by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, but they say he was never given the mental evaluation that was supposed to happen.

Instead, he was placed in a cell with an inmate who strangled him to death.

Several Sheriff’s officers were indicted in the death of Gershun Freeman even though his cause of death was listed as a psychotic disorder.

“The number of people with mental illness who are incarcerated is growing steadily. It is not reducing, it is growing steadily and we’ve got to reverse that trend,” says Dr. Stewart.

Shelby County is working through funding for a new mental health facility that will allow jail inmates who suffer mental conditions to be removed from the Criminal Justice Center and get them help they need instead of incarceration.

“I think we’ll have the facility built before I leave office. We’ve already identified a location and we are moving with all manner of haste to try to get the project done before I leave office in a couple years. It’s really needed,” says Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris.

But, there’s concern about making sure service providers are there.

A community assessment by Methodist LeBonheur Health Care found our area lacks services, with 620 residents for every one mental health provider.

“A lot of times they’re displaced like they don’t have anywhere to go because the services are not there. And sometimes the service that they do receive does not have any type of longevity to it. So there has to be some form of plan for continuous help. And I think that’s what we’re lacking,” says Flynn.

But progress is being made in Memphis and Shelby County. Alliance Health Care is building a Crisis Service Center in the Binghampton area for adults.

“If you are picked up by police on the street and it’s clear you have a mental illness, then you will be taken there. You will be given some immediate care and then there is a period of time where you will receive additional care to further stabilize you and make plans for you not ending up on the street again,” says Stewart.

A children’s crisis service is also being created, giving immediate options to parents who have kids who are depressed or suicidal. It will be a safe, secure and therapeutic place for the family as a whole.

There are also programs within Memphis Shelby County Schools where children and their families can get support so their behavior doesn’t result in them getting expelled or suspended.

And a youth re-entry program is also in development, with the idea of stopping negative thinking on the part of the child and getting them to see things differently, get advanced education and get job training.

“A lot of people don’t know about these programs and we are working with partners in our community, a group of us, to really organize resource directories for people so that if you have a need, we want you, we want your school, we want your church, we want you neighborhood association to know what’s available in your community,” says Stewart.

Stewart also believes that the words we use carry a lot of weight — that’s why she is asking that the word “juvenile” no longer be used to describe underage youth.

She says there is a stigma that comes with that and it weighs on a child’s self-esteem. She prefers words like “adolescent” or “minor.”

► DO YOU NEED A STORY INVESTIGATED? WREG Investigators want to hear from you! Call our tip line at 901-543-2378. You can also send an email to newstips@wreg.com .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.