Navigating a Mental Health Crisisstainable cities

NAMI developed this guide to support people experiencing mental health crises, their friends and families by providing important, sometimes lifesaving information. This guide outlines what can contribute to a crisis, warning signs that a crisis is emerging, strategies to help de-escalate a crisis and resources that may be available for those affected. Also included is information about advocating for a person in crisis along with a sample crisis plan.

In this guide, we use the term “mental health condition” and “mental illness” interchangeably to refer to a variety of mental illnesses including, but not limited to, depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorders. NAMI views mental health conditions or mental illnesses as physical conditions, often requiring medical treatment just like other conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Mental health conditions are physical illnesses that result when one of the many mechanisms of the brain is not adequately doing its job.

Learning that someone you love has a mental health condition can be frightening. People experiencing episodes of mental illness—and the people who care for them—need information. However, that information is not always readily available and the search for answers may require more energy and persistence than what we have available in times of crisis.

When a mental health condition is present, the potential for a crisis is never far from mind. If you are reading this guide, it is likely that you or someone you love may be experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition.

Crisis episodes related to mental illness can feel overwhelming. There is the initial shock, followed by a flood of questions.

• Why him/her?
• Why me?
• What went wrong?
• Why is this happening now?
• What did we do?
• What didn’t we do?
• What can we do?

Everyone can feel overwhelmed, confused, or experience anger, grief or guilt. It’s important to remember that we all do the best that we can with the information and the resources we have available to us.