[DanBC]

About half the people that police shoot and kill each year have a mental illness. This amounts to about 500 people with mental illness shot and killed each year.

This compares to the 35,000 to 40,000 people who die by suicide in the US each year.

If someone needs help there are probably things you can do - be there with them; make sure you say they're calm when you talk about them on the phone; make sure there are no weapons around.