Mobile Response Team (MRT)

Your 24-hour resource for mental health and substance use crisis intervention.

Teaching and parenting kids and young adults is a tough job—often made tougher by the challenges of mental health. Consider these facts about today’s young people*:

  • 1 in 5 children suffers from a mental health or learning disorder.
  • Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14.
  • Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for ages 15-24.*

When mental health issues or substance use leads to a crisis that requires professional attention, Life Management Center’s Mobile Response Team (MRT) can provide the knowledgeable, compassionate assistance you need.

Parent Education Video: Mental Health Crisis & Intervention

School Staff / Law Enforcement: Mental Health Intervention

A partner to parents in suicide prevention.

For most parents, the idea of suicide is the worst possible outcome of a child’s mental health or substance use crisis, and Life Management Center is committed to reducing the suicide rate through education, prevention and intervention. Here are some of the most common suicide warning signs, as well as the real facts about three suicide myths:

TALK Warnings

  • Expressing hopelessness
  • Feeling “trapped”
  • Mentioning suicide

BEHAVIOR Warnings

  • Substance use
  • Withdrawal or isolation
  • Aggression
  • Sleeping too much or little, fatigue
  • Saying goodbyes and giving away possessions

MOOD Warnings

  • Depression, anxiety
  • Irritable or angry
  • Uninterested
  • Feeling shame
  • Sudden relief or improvement

Suicide Myths and Reality

Myth: Talking about suicide encourages it. Actually, the opposite is true, and asking about suicide can lower a child’s anxiety and give them an outlet to talk to you or someone else.

Myth: Suicide happens without warning. People who are suicidal will generally give many clues and warnings about their intentions. If we know those signs, we’re more likely to be able to help.

Myth: Active, successful students don’t consider suicide. The truth is that anyone can suffer from mental health or substance use problems that could lead to suicide.

Here to help School Staff & Law Enforcement make better decisions.

Even the most experienced law enforcement, school staff and EMTs can be unsure of how to effectively handle every mental health crisis. The MRT was created to provide on-demand behavioral health crisis intervention in any setting — most often at schools, but also in homes, ERs and other locations. (In homes and other non-school locations, we request that law enforcement accompany our team.)

The MRT serves anyone in need, focusing on those between ages 3 and 25 in Bay, Holmes, Washington, Jackson, Calhoun and Gulf counties. We recommend intervention when a crisis interferes with an individual’s ability to function and there is a clear and immediate need for stabilization.

Our goals are to:

  • Lessen crisis trauma
  • Divert individuals from ERs and the traditional court system
  • Prevent unnecessary psychiatric hospitalization
  • Help identify potential crises in advance

Easy to engage, 24 hours a day.

Simply call the MRT any time, day or night, and a behavioral health professional with specialized intervention training will assist you, either in-person at your location or through an electronic remote assessment, depending on proximity, day of the week or time of day.

Our first job is to evaluate and assess the individual, then make a safety plan for him or her and any others who may be affected. Depending on the situation, we can also provide:

  • Stabilization
  • Supportive crisis counseling
  • Education and coping skills
  • Direct links to appropriate resources

The MRT stays engaged with coordination and check-ins throughout the 72-hour period following crisis assessment. And if we can’t make an effective safety plan or otherwise address the situation, a Baker Act may be an option.

Experienced with Baker Act protocol.

The Baker Act, passed into law as the Florida Mental Health Act of 1971, allows people with mental illnesses to be held involuntarily for up to 72 hours in a mental health treatment facility if they’re believed to be a danger to themselves or someone else. MRT staff are fully trained in proper Baker Act protocol, which may include consulting with law enforcement and asking them to initiate a BA 52.

The MRT is always available to explain the Baker Act in detail and provide professional advice about when it may be the right course of action. Here are a few Baker Act basics we believe everyone responsible for a young person’s health and well-being should know:

  • It is initiated by judges, law enforcement, doctors and mental health professionals.
  • The individual must: have an apparent mental illness, refuse a voluntary exam (or be unable to understand why it’s necessary) and be likely to suffer neglect or harm himself or others in the near-future.
  • The danger need not be imminent — for example, threatening suicide to occur later in the day or week can warrant a Baker Act.
  • A delusion that can lead to serious harm or death may warrant a Baker Act, even if suicide or death isn’t explicitly mentioned.
  • Holding an individual for a full 72 hours is not required by law; within 72 hours, the patient must be released, checked into the mental health facility, or approved by court petition for a stay beyond 72 hours.

Let us know how we can help.

Remember, it never hurts to have a conversation about mental health or substance use. Whether you need advice, have a question or are actively dealing with a crisis, consider Life Management Center’s Mobile Response Team an essential support resource.

Mobile Response Team: 850-522-4485, Ext 1833

* Source: National Institute of Mental Health