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Whom do I contact in a crisis?

In a crises or emergency situations such as those outlined above there are several agencies that can be contacted.

• The emergency department of the local hospital. Families should try to gain the sick person's cooperation to accompany them to the local hospital. However, if the sufferer is feeling suspicious or paranoid they may not agree. In such a case it is best for families not to try to coerce the person. Coercion can make the individual feel even more unsafe and suspicious. Persuasion, done gently and skilfully, is the approach that needs to be used.
• Police. It may be necessary to call the police when there is a risk that the individual will cause harm to self or somebody else. When this is judged to be the case no time should be wasted. In situations like this, the police will normally assist by escorting the person to hospital to be assessed by a specialist. The individual will then be able to get the help that is needed.
• Emergency psychiatric teams. The local telephone directory will list the number of local emergency psychiatric teams who can respond in a crisis. Like the police, this team will usually assist by escorting the individual to hospital where specialist assessment and treatment are available.
• Ambulance. Actual self-harm and attempted suicides are extreme emergencies. Call an ambulance immediately and ask for directions about what can be done while waiting for it to arrive.

Understandably, crisis situations can be extremely frightening and traumatic for the individual and for the family. It is important for family members to support one another at these times, and to establish good relationships with the mental health agencies that are assisting them. After the emergency situation has passed it is often helpful to talk through the emergency with the other family members or friends that were involved. Families can also ask to meet with a mental health professional to help them talk through these emergency situations. Especially after a crisis situation, families and friends need to ensure that they look after themselves properly, and this includes discussing what happened, discussing how the members of the family feel about what happened, and getting back into a normal routine (see also Information for caregivers brochure).
When the emergency is over, and the painful feelings that go hand-in-hand with these situations have eased, the time is then ripe to make a family plan for handling future emergencies of this type.  It is also important for the individual and their family to express their own feelings about the state of affairs which preceded the emergency. The helpfulness of existing plans or planned actions need to be assessed. Mental health professionals can help individuals and their families make or amend these plans.