Navigating a Mental Health Crisis: Where To Get Help
Mental health is important to a healthy life. When you are dealing with a mental health crisis, it can be overwhelming. You might not know what to do. Fortunately, there are many different ways you can get help.
What Qualifies as a Mental Health Crisis?
A mental health crisis is a severe and abrupt change from normal behavior. It is something that overwhelms your ability to cope. The following may indicate a mental health crisis.
Psychosis (such as experiencing delusions or hallucinations)
Intense mood changes
Paranoia
Agitation or violence
Self harm
Thoughts of suicide or death
What Can Cause a Crisis?
Anyone can have a crisis, whether they have a mental health condition or not. Sometimes a mental health crisis occurs without any clear cause. But, there are some things that are known to trigger a crisis.
Sudden loss or death of a loved one
Substance abuse
Traumatic event
Significant stress (job loss, breakup, housing instability)
Psychiatric disorder (such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia)
How To Get Help
If you or a loved one is in a crisis, you deserve help. If you are in the United States, 988 is the number to call for mental health crises. You can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. They have Spanish-speaking counselors available, as well. You can also text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
You may also be able to get crisis services from a local crisis center that specializes in mental or behavioral health. These are sometimes located at hospitals but may have a separate entrance. They usually offer services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can call or text 988 to find crisis centers in your town or city.
If it’s an emergency, don’t wait to get help. Go to the emergency room or call 911 for immediate crisis treatment. If you call 911, ask dispatchers to send an officer trained in mental health or crisis intervention (CIT), if possible. Let the dispatcher know that you are calling for a mental health crisis.
What if You Aren’t in the USA?
The above numbers only work in the U.S. If you are not in the United States, you can check out The International Association for Suicide Prevention. You can get connected with hotlines worldwide.
Lifeline International is another resource. They provide information for crisis support helplines and community-based suicide prevention services for more than 20 countries worldwide.
Befrienders Worldwide also has global suicide prevention resources for more than 193 countries. They have services available in more than 44 languages.
How To Prevent a Crisis
Sometimes, there’s not much you can do to prevent a mental health crisis. One thing that might help potentially prevent a crisis is a crisis plan. Even if it doesn't prevent a full-blown crisis, a crisis plan can be very helpful during a mental health crisis. It lets you know what to do.
How To Help Someone in a Crisis
The most important thing that you can do to help someone in a crisis is to stay calm. Remove anything that the person could harm themselves with, if possible. Speak calmly to them without raising your voice. Don’t blame or shame them. Try to be as non-judgmental as possible.
Next, simply listen. This can be powerful. Ask your loved one how they are feeling and listen calmly to what they say. Tell them that you are concerned and ask how you can help. Perhaps that is calling their therapist or psychiatrist. If they agree to this, you can work with their treatment team to best help them.
Your friend or family member may need urgent help if they:
Are at an immediate risk of harming themselves or someone else
Need medical attention
In these cases, you may need to call 911 (in the U.S.) to help keep the person safe. Let the dispatcher know that you need an officer trained in mental health crisis intervention to respond, if they have one.
