Op Ed - Action, Care and Compassion: My Administration’s Approach to Addressing Severe Mental Illness Mayor Eric Adams visits NYCHA Hammel Houses. Rockaway Beach, Queens. Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. By Mayor Eric Adams  NEW YORK  - Our city is facing a crisis. New Yorkers with severe and untreated mental illness are living out in the open, on our streets and in our subways. They are in danger and need help. Yet often, the nature of their illnesses prevents them from seeking the support they require. My Administration is determined to do more to assist people with mental illness, especially those with untreated psychotic disorders who pose a risk of harm to themselves, even if they are not an imminent threat to the public. Moving forward, we will take several key steps.  The most important is for our outreach workers, hospital staff, and police officers to be aware that New York law already allows us to intervene when untreated severe mental illnes