Mental Health Emergency or Crisis?

Self-Help

12 Sept

What is a mental health emergency?

A mental health emergency is a life-threatening situation in which someone has become an immediate danger to themselves or others, is in severe distress, has lost the ability to function independently, or is extremely disorientated or out-of-touch with reality.

What is a mental health crisis?

A mental health crisis is a non–life-threatening situation in which someone has temporary thoughts of hurting themselves or others that they will not act on, is significantly distressed, is finding it difficult to function normally, or is agitated and cannot calm down.

What should I do during a mental health emergency?

An emergency, as the name implies, is serious enough to get health professionals involved immediately. The fastest way to do this is to call 000 or go to the nearest Hospital Emergency Department (ED). The ED is accessible 24 hours and there are always both psychiatrists and specialist mental health nurses trained and ready to handle these difficult situations.

What should I do during a mental health crisis?

If you are in crisis, the following steps, in the order they appear below, should be helpful until the crisis has abated but you should see support from a GP or mental health professional to follow up.

Use coping skills. In sessions, we will discuss specific ways to cope with difficult situations. The goal is to use Distress Tolerance skills and healthy coping strategies to calm down and return to a normal level of functioning. These can be done alone. However, if you have tried numerous ways to cope with difficult feelings and feel like they have come up short, then proceed to Step 2.
Reach out to others. Great benefits come from reaching out to friends and or family. Usually, they can help calm us down when we have difficulty calming ourselves. In addition to providing emotional support, they can also assist you with problem-solve challenging situations. If these social supports are unavailable or you still feel poorly after speaking to them, then proceed to Step 3.
Contact a mental health professional. Sometimes it takes a professional to help with a very challenging situation. If you are an active client of mine and are experiencing a crisis, then feel free to call me. Please note, however, that I am often not immediately available by telephone especially when conducting sessions. With a clear discussion (contract), and for short durations of time, I sometimes speak with clients during the day for brief phone sessions (5-10 minutes) aimed at managing distressing emotions. If more time is needed, I can usually get clients in to be seen on the next business day but not always. My policy is to take and respond to calls only between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Messages left on my voicemail after hours will be responded to first thing in the morning. If a more urgent response is needed or you experience a crisis after hours, then proceed to Step 4.
Call a hotline. Several local and national phone support lines exist to support individuals experiencing mental health crises. They take calls immediately and some operate 24 hours per day. If you feel that a hotline did not help you sufficiently, then proceed to Step 5. In NSW the following services include but are not limited too:
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 476
13Yarn – a 24/7 service for indigenous Australians: 13 92 76
NSW Mental Health Access Line: 1800 011 511
Proceed to the nearest Emergency Department (ED) at the closest public Hospital. The ED is always open, and the medical and nursing staff regularly help individuals manage mental health crises. They are trained and equipped to handle these types of situations.