We are asking North Carolina to stop treating mania like a crime and to change the way people in mania are met, judged, and punished.

Mania is a real mental health condition, not a moral failure or a reason to be treated like a criminal. Too often, people in distress are met with fear, blame, handcuffs, and punishment instead of care, patience, and support. That only makes things worse. It deepens harm, pushes people away from help, and leaves families and communities carrying pain that could have been eased with understanding and proper treatment.

In North Carolina, we want a response that recognizes mental health needs as health needs. People experiencing mania deserve respectful, humane care, access to treatment, and a path back to stability without being labeled or treated as though they have committed a crime simply because they are unwell.

We call on North Carolina leaders and decision-makers to end harmful criminalization of mania and to build systems that protect dignity, safety, and recovery. That means training, crisis response, and community support that meet people where they are instead of punishing them for being in crisis.

Mania is not a crime. People in crisis deserve help, not harm. We urge North Carolina to choose care over punishment and dignity over stigma.