Addressing mental health after the Carmel shooting

CARMEL, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Following the man who was shot by police in Carmel after wielding what was thought to be a firearm but what turned out to be a bb gun.

The situation raising urgent questions about mental health awareness and crisis intervention.

Mental health experts stress the importance of open communication around mental health and recognizing some of the signs.

Following the shooting of 27-year-old James Marshall, the normally vibrant streets of Carmel have fallen silent.

"I just walked through the town, and like I said, it feels a little more tense, like people are kind of holding their breath," Forrest Dahl resident in Carmel said.

James Marshall's mother called the police and said he was having a breakdown.

A deputy spokesperson said that Marshall had told her that he wanted to die by police. 

As the community grapples with the tragedy, mental health concerns have come to the forefront. Many people like Forrest Dahl, a resident here in Carmel, are reflecting on their own challenges.

"I literally had to call my mom and be like, hey, in case you heard about this, it wasn't me because I didn't want her to worry, because that is something that I've struggled with and I've been there," Dahl said.

Mental health experts say it's important for families and loved ones to have an open communication around the topic.

"We should be talking about mental health, I think for a lot of individuals, this stuff feels like a taboo topic where there's either shame or stigma associated with it," Veronica Bernadette Searles Quick Montage Health said. "I really want mental health to be a talk about a subject where we talk about it at the dinner table, at the doctor's office, and in schools where this is just a normalized part of our conversation."

Mental health experts also emphasize the critical need for safety interventions at home, ensuring a secure environment can be vital for individuals struggling with their mental health.

"Making sure that medications are locked in lock boxes, if someone's having thoughts about using those to hurt themselves, certainly the weapons in the home are secured," Quick said. "Those basic safety interventions are really critical."

Conversations around the specific struggles that young men face, have also come to the forefront.

"I can guarantee you that young men battled every day to try and make sure that he was going to be okay, probably for his mom, right. like that's from what I heard, she was like walking down the road with him," Dahl said.

Mental health experts urge families and friends to be vigilant for signs of distress in loved ones.

They point to some frequent signs they see.

"Some of the more subtle signs can just be changes in routine, so if someone's isolated in their room much more than they normally would be or seem to be eating a lot less or a lot more than they normally do or are they really enjoying the activities that they used to enjoy or maybe they used to be on a sports team and they've quit and they're not experiencing joy from those activities," Quick said. "Those would be signs that they maybe need more support."

If you or someone else has a mental health emergency,  call 911 or go to the emergency department, where you'll receive a mental health assessment and safety plan from a trained crisis intervention team or call or text the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988 or connect with a counselor online at 988lifeline.org