Roots Up

03/16/2026

QUESTION: When looking at outcomes, can you trust self-report data from people under an Involuntary Outpatient Commitment (IOC) order *OR* the providers responsible for implementing and overseeing those orders?

SHORT ANSWER: No.

LONGER ANSWER: Both people under IOC orders (more commonly referred to as "Assisted Outpatient Treatment" or "AOT" orders in the US) and the providers responsible for implementing the orders have incentive to misrepresent the truth.

People under IOC orders have absolutely nothing to gain from telling the people who have so much power over them that the order isn't effective. In fact, they could be subjected to even more force as a result.

And the providers risk being blamed or held responsible if they acknowledge things aren't working.

Data on IOC implementation and efficacy is limited overall and what data there is pretty clearly tells us that IOC orders do NOT work and can cause great harm.

This video is one of the first in a series of "Assisted Outpatient Treatment" Shorts taken from presentations by researcher and subject matter expert, Nev Jones.

Find more on at youtube.com/-Up

03/15/2026

QUESTION: How does su***de prevention prevent su***de prevention?

ANSWER: Broadly speaking, su***de prevention has become an industry that focuses more on preventing someone from killing themself - often "by any means necessary" - more so than it looks at the root causes of why people want to die.

This industry also frequently ignores the long-term negative impacts of using psychiatric force to prevent someone from su***de.

In fact, research and people's stories are telling us that the even the fear of experiencing loss of liberty in the name of 'help' often prevents them from reaching out for support at all and that the aftereffects of having experienced that level of loss of power can increase someone's hopelessness and want to die.

Force often gets used as a tool of desperation and that desperation is understandable at times, but understandable doesn't mean right, effective or the way to go.

We can do better and one starting point is making space to talk openly about su***de and all the other 'taboo' things too many of us feel we have to keep locked inside out of shame, fear and nowhere to turn.

***de ***deprevention

03/13/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Wednesday, March 11 for Part II of our "Assisted Outpatient" series with Nev Jones: Involuntary Outpatient Commitment / 'Assisted Outpatient Treatment' - What the Research Does & Doesn't Tell Us - A Deeper Dive

The recording of this event has now been posted on our channel at youtube.com/-Up (link in bio)

Nev is a true subject matter expert when it comes to this topic and her presentations are not to be missed!



Image description: The top half of this image is white and the bottom is dark blue. Black text on the top half reads "Thank you to everyone who joined us! Part II is now available on our YouTube Channel!: YouTube.com/-Up. White text on the bottom half reads "Involuntary Outpatient Commitment / 'Assisted Outpatient Treatment' followed by brown and light blue text "What the Research Does & Doesn't Tell Us - Deeper Dive Part II, Nev Jones PhD Associate Professor School of Social Work University of Pittsburgh. Circles of varying sizes and shades of beige are visible throughout the image. A picture of Nev from the shoulders up (long brown hair, glasses, looking and smiling directly forward) is at the very bottom center below the title of the presentation. (The dark blue portion of the image is the first slide from her presentation)

03/11/2026

Roots Up has built a new advocacy page on our website. You can find it at rootsup.info/advocacy

Currently, the focus is on systems advocacy, though other areas of focus (individual, family, etc.) will be built in over time!

Although we will always have a lot of Massachusetts-based systems advocacy news on the page, some of that is deeply relevant to other areas and we will be including national topics and beyond as well.

Some of the latest news you will find on the page:

* The MA Senate Health Care Financing Committee voted "ought to pass" on the Peer Respite Bill (S. 1383) moving it forward (likely to Senate Ways and Means, but not yet confirmed)

* The House Judiciary Committee sent the Involuntary Outpatient Commitment (IOC) Bill 'to study' (H. 1801) Being 'sent to study' basically serves to kill a bill for the legislative season.

* The Senate Health Care Financing Committee voted 'ought to pass' on the IOC bill and sent it to Senate Ways & Means (S.2973)

Check out rootsup.info/Advocacy for more on what these developments mean and for info on other bills and beyond!



Image description: Background includes four fists raising out of the ground with roots visible at the bottom of their forearms and flowers growing up around them. A black bar runs across the bottom third of the image with white lettering "Roots Up has a new advocacy page! RootsUp.info/Advocacy. Above that is a semi-transparent white box with a black outline and black text just above it reading 'Recent Advocacy News in MA' and inside the box, black text that reads "Senate Health Care Financing Committee votes "ought to pass" on Peer Respite bill (S.1383); House sends Involuntary Outpatient Commitment (IOC) Bill 'to study' (H.1801), Senate votes "ought to pass" on IOC bill and sends it to Senate Ways & Means (S.2973).

03/07/2026

Our Roots Up training team was excited to spend this week with the new crew at HOPE First Roc supporting them to get ready to launch their peer-led, non-police crisis alternative in Rochester, New York!

These crisis alternatives are few and far between and doing them well takes a lot of energy, commitment and intention which this group certainly has.

We are looking forward to seeing what they accomplish and the ways in which they will help show our communities what can be different about how we respond to people in distress.

You can learn more about HOPE First Roc on their website: https://www.hopefirstroc.org/



Image description: Roots Up trainer, Cindy Hadge (standing in front, smiling, short gray and dark hair, black shirt with tattooed forearms visible, dark pants) stands with four members of the HOPE First Roc team from left to right Tajuan (wearing gray paints and a light gray cK hoodie with a white cap and glasses, hair not visible under cap) with an arm around Irene (maroon pants and jacket zipped most of the way up, long dark hair) next to Quan (visible from the chest up and wearing a gray jacket over a light colored shirt with hood over a tan cap under the hood, hair not visible under hat) next to Nya (dark pants and purple hoodie with white outlined writing on the front, glasses and a Yankees cap and hoop earrings, hair not visible under cap). Everyone is standing indoors in a room with gray walls and some art partially visible. They are all looking directly at the camera and smiling.

03/07/2026

Team Liberty vs. Team Liability

What if seeking support didn't have to be a game?

While it gets more complicated than liberty versus liability, too many of us have nonetheless experienced the challenge of getting what we need or want (especially without losing something we really don't want to lose) as playing a game.

What can you say without having your psych drugs upped (or to get access to a drug you think will help)?

What do you need to do to avoid a locked psych unit (but maybe still get access to a respite)?

On and on, frequently leaving everyone frustrated, disconnected and without basic needs met.

Is it possible to get beyond 'the game' in this system? We're not so sure...



Image description: A black banner across the top says (in white lettering) "TEAM LIBERTY vs. TEAM LIABILITY". Below that are two teams of four. On the right, is a team wearing red t-shirts with white lettering that says "TEAM LIABILITY-along with white shorts and sneakers. On the left, the team is wearing brown t-shirts with white lettering that reads "TEAM LIBERTY" along with blue shorts and sneakers.
The team on the right includes a Black feminine-presenting person with curly brown hair to the shoulders, a head band. The person is smiling and holding a clipboard and wearing a name badge on a string around the neck. Next to that person is a feminine-presenting person with white skin and short gray curly hair. Behind them is a feminie-presenting person with a long high brown ponytail and a masculine-presenting person with short brown hair. On team 'LIBERTY' in front is a feminine presenting white person with long blonde hair with pink streaks. Behind that person is an Asian androgynous person with short spike black hair next to a feminine presenting Black person with long curly dark hair. In the back is a masculine presenting person with short dark curly hair. The background behind them is green (a light grass color) in the lower third of the screen. The upper background is white. A the very bottom is a black band with white lettering, "What if seeking support didn't have to be a game?"

03/01/2026

Too often people avoid any sort of help or support because they're validly afraid of the price they'll pay for doing so.

That 'price' includes everything from actual monetary expenses to being kicked out of school, losing custody of children, being locked up against one's will and more.

What if we weren't afraid? What would it take to build systems that offered real support without all the harms?

02/28/2026

"Mandatory Reporting" or being a "Mandated Reporter" refers to laws across the US that require people in certain roles to report an observed or suspected abuse or neglect of children, as well as disabled adults and elderly people.

The idea is that these laws protect vulnerable community members. However, they often cause more harm than good, particularly where children are concerns. Many people refer to it as "family policing".

This "family policing" is especially harmful to already marginalized communities including:

* Black, Brown & Indigenous families
* Families with trans or q***r members
* Families where one or more members are undocumented
* Families with disabled members
* Families with members who have psychiatric histories
* Families that include one or more people who use drugs
* Families living in poverty
* Domestic violence survivors

This isn't about leaving vulnerable people who are being hurt or neglected without any support. There are harm reduction and abolition resources out there. These include:

Mandatory Reporting is Not Neutral: mandatoryreportingisnotneutral.com

Mandated Reporting Harm Reduction:
tinyurl.com/MandatedBRAT

upEND:
upendmovement.org

02/27/2026

From Nev Jones's recent presentation on Involuntary Outpatient Commitment (aka or ) for Roots Up on Feb 12:

"The gold standard of research in the field of mental health found no effect of AOT on these primary clinical outcomes. Cochrane meta-analysis found the number needed to treat 142 court orders to prevent just one re-admission. The most recent global meta-analysis of available research—this is the Kisely et al study —found no significant impacts on violence or offending. And the Duke’s study’s arguably most robust finding was in fact a 45% increase in perceived coercion, with Black participants two times more likely to experience high coercion."

View the whole presentation on Roots Up's channel at YouTube.com/-up

And join us for Part II on March 11 at 12pm Eastern. Register at tinyurl.com/NJIOC311



Image description: White background with a picture of Nev in the lower left corner from the shoulders up, facing forward and smiling (Nev is white with shoulder length brown hair and glasses and is wearing a maroon shirt with a grayish button-down shirt open over it). A large, light gray talk bubble fills the upper half of the image and includes the quote text above. A maroon stripe runs horizontally across the page at the same level as Nev's head and has white text, "Nev Jones on "Assisted Outpatient Treatment", Feb 12 '26 presentation. View @ YouTube.com/-up. A dark gray stripe runs horizontally across the image at the very bottom with white text, "Join us for Part II, March 11 tinyurl.com/NJIOC311

02/26/2026

REMINDER: Supporting someone to discover the reasons they may want to keep living is worlds apart from just forcing them to stay alive.

To do this well, you may need to also accept they could end up deciding they still want to die.

Letting go of that 'rope' and dropping the power struggle over whether someone will die can be terrifying, but sometimes (often times) it's necessary to open up the space to support someone to figure out how to they want to live.

***de ***deawareness ***deprevention

Image description: Bright pinkish purple background with large black talk bubble with green outline and white text that is identical to the first two sections of text above.

02/25/2026

Sharing an upcoming training from Youth MOVE National because finding ways to support young people is at least as important as finding ways to recognize and carry forward the wisdom of movement history and elders!

Training app here: tinyurl.com/YMtrain26

Are you under the age of 30 and working in a Youth Peer Support role? Join Youth MOVE National for a virtual cohort: National Youth Peer Support Continued Learning & Connection Series!

These offerings are FREE to participants and designed to support intentional networking and the ongoing building of youth peer support community through 90-minute facilitated virtual sessions, which include discussion-centered co-reflection & networking spaces, as well as co-learning & practice sessions, with session topics informed by those discussions.

Our goal is to ensure that youth peers feel connected, supported, and empowered in their roles & journeys beyond their core training experiences.

Learn more & Register Today! https://buff.ly/DzIp3zM

02/24/2026

People working in peer support and other similar "alternatives" frequently talk about avoiding or preventing co-optation.

Indeed, co-optation (the use of peer support or alternative language or approaches in a superficial manner that lacks fidelity to the intention and frequently corrupts it altogether) is a huge issue.

However, in a system where providers, funders and researchers all misunderstand and misrepresent what these things are at every layer, co-optation is the STARTING POINT and e have to fight for every bit of distance we get from it.



Image description: Bright red background with a large black talk bubble with a blue outline and white text reading "When it comes to peer support, we aren't trying to "prevent co-optation". In this system where so very many providers, researchers and funders alike often ask wrong questions & prioritize such misguided goals, co-optation is the starting point. That leaves us constantly having to fight for everything we get.