Recently, I discovered I didn't know something important about interventions.

Me: I want to start a conversation about interventions.

Not me: That sounds promising.

Me: But I'm worried about what happens at the end.

Not me: That's not you're concern; you're overthinking.

This was ridiculous. Of course I have to worry about - in this case - what happens at the end. People, fragile people, people very in need of help and support, people who have families who will worry - these people need to know what the reality of their situation is.

The argument wasn't complicated so much as confusing to me. Not me was getting increasingly huffy, and I had fallen into repetition.

Until finally Not me asked the question: 'What are you calling an intervention?'

And I answered.

And he said, 'Oh. Didn't know that.'

What he (Not me) thought an intervention was, was a vaguely more serious version of what he'd seen on countless comedy sketches and sitcoms.

And it turns out that's what a lot of people think. The rough outline for the scene involves a person with a problem, a gathering of people, and someone announcing, 'This is an intervention' (in the same tone you imagine hearing someone say, 'This is a stick-up!').

What I didn't know was worse. I didn't know there was this misconception. So at the very least, I was coming at this subject not knowing enough about how confusing it was.

There are different kinds of interventions for different problems and issues. Most people are familiar with the kinds that address problems of addiction, like alcoholism, substance abuse and gambling.

There are also interventions that attempt to treat with psychological or psychiatric problems like serious depressive episodes, eating disorders or a genuine concern that a person may do harm to themselves or others.

One possible end to a mental health intervention is having the person-of-concern committed to a psychiatric facility. In TT, the Ministry of Health has a good listing of clinics and hospitals you can visit, what kind of care they offer, and when they offer it.

Right now, if you need long-term inpatient care (that is, if you need to be hospitalised for a while), the St Ann's Psychiatric Hospital is the only place that can provide that.

But before we get there (literally and figuratively) here's how you can set the stage for a mental health intervention.

If someone you care about cannot or will not seek help for a mental problem that is causing them distress, disrupting their lives, maybe even compromising the wellbeing of those around them, it may be time for an intervention.

You want a non-threatening group to come to the table. That's easy to say, but I'm not sure it's always 100 per cent achievable.

Remember, this is already someone who is not inclined to find help on their own. Maybe they think everyone is threatening. Or at least, they may think no one has any business being up in their business