It seems true too, that the people who are paranoid enough or violent enough to really need help...are too sick to reason with so they will accept it...

We really need to be less self-absorbed and pay more attention to the people who are around us. I have become slightly paranoid since 9/11, but I feel that's a good thing. I notice things out of the ordinary and haven't hesitated talking to law enforcement on a non-emergency basis. For example a car parked in front of a house down the street from me had a single male occupant and was in front of the same house 2 hours later when I returned from shopping. At first I dismissed the nagging feelings about calling the police but kept watching the car until I just couldn't stand it and I called. The policeman came to me and thanked me for calling it in. Turns out this was a distant relative who did not have the new unlisted phone number of the people who lived in the house letting them know another relative was very ill and might be dying. He had already left a note on their door and was preparing to leave when confronted by the police. I was told that this was the correct way to handle "out of the ordinary" events by reporting them, however small to allow the police to do their job. I wrestled with what to do and did the right thing. Don't hesitate too long and keep watching everything.