What to do in a crisis
What is a crisis?
By crisis we are referring to a sudden deterioration in a persons mental state which requires immediate attention. This could be described as acute mental distress, characterised by delusional or suicidal thinking or out of control behaviour which could lead to self injury or the harming of others. It should be stated that these are generally rare occurrences. Nevertheless, anyone who is showing signs of acute mental distress should be taken seriously.
At the end of the day who to contact will depend upon the history of the person in question and whether this is a first or recurrent experience. The key thing is to get help quickly to deal with the immediate situation as safely and calmly as possible.
People that use mental health services may have a Crisis Card or an Advanced Directive with them. This gives information about who to contact in a crisis.
Or they may have a Care Plan and a named professional responsible for care, ask them.
For people who are experiencing acute mental distress for the first time the options are
Contact the persons GP or the GP out of hours service and explain the problem or
Phone NHS Direct on 0845 4647 which has psychiatric nurses on the switchboard who can offer advice
If the crisis is rapidly deteriorating and cannot wait then contact the Community Mental Health Team. There are two ways to do this either by phone ( 01303 ) 852706 9am 5pm mon - fri or there is a walk in service located at;
Royal Victoria Hospital
Radnor Park Avenue
Folkestone
CT19 5BN
Opening hours 7am 10pm mon fri ( must make an appointment between 9am 2 pm (01303) 852727 ).
No appointment is needed 2pm 4pm or Saturday 9am 12 noon.
If none of the above options are available or satisfactory then;
Either: Take the person to A&E at the William Harvey Hospital, Ashford which contains in patient mental health services and request to see the on site mental health practitioner. Only in extreme circumstances will anyone be admitted immediately to inpatient services.
Or if there is a risk of physical violence or risk of self harm you may need to phone the police.
There are confidential out of hours helplines which can offer advice and support;
Mental health matters - 0800 107 0160 ( 24 hours )
Samaritans - 01303 255000 ( 24 hours )