When mental illness is present, the potential for crisis exists – and when a crisis occurs, there isn’t time to search for answers. If your loved one experiences a mental health crisis, you’ll want to be prepared in advance.
“Navigating a Mental Health Crisis” provides important, potentially life-saving information for people experiencing mental health crises and their loved ones. NAMI created this guide to help people learn the warning signs of a crisis, strategies to de-escalate a crisis, and which resources might be available for those affected.
Learn What to Do in a Mental Health Crisis
Like any other health crisis, it’s important to act quickly and effectively in a mental health crisis. With mental health conditions, it can be difficult to predict a crisis. A crisis can occur even when treatment plans are followed and mental health professionals are involved. Unfortunately, unpredictability is the nature of mental illness – and unlike other mental health emergencies, people experiencing a mental health crisis don’t always receive information about what to expect after the immediate crisis ends.
That’s why NAMI created this guide, so people experiencing mental health emergencies and their loved ones have the information and answers they need – when they need it. In the pages of “Navigating a Mental Health Crisis,” you’ll find:
- Information about mental illness and mental health crises
- Advice for what to do during a crisis
- Guidance on admission for treatment, what to expect from treatment, family involvement, and discharge planning
- Tips on caring for yourself as a caregiver
- Practical steps to prepare for a future crisis, including fillable forms for a Portable Treatment Record, Crisis Plan, and Relapse Plan
Share With Your Community
When our communities are prepared to support a mental health crisis, we all benefit.
We encourage sharing this crisis guide in your local communities, specifically with those who are most likely to be in contact with people experiencing a mental health emergency, like:
- Emergency departments
- Law enforcement officials
- Primary care physicians
- Court clerks where involuntary commitment processes are initiated
- Anywhere a person in crisis might be seen for the first time
Download Resources
Part of preparing for a crisis is documenting treatment history and any lessons learned from previous mental health crises. The following forms are designed to prepare you and your family in case of a mental health emergency, so that you can focus on recovery instead of searching for answers.
