Don’t Avert Your Eyes: Know When And How To Contact Help

By Alicia Sparks

This post is the final part of the “Don’t Avert Your Eyes” series here at Celebrity Psychings. Learn more about how Joaquin Phoenix prompted this weeklong series and find a complete list of all the posts.

Thus far in the “Don’t Avert Your Eyes” series we’ve talked about the importance of knowing the symptoms of mental illness and how to talk to someone you think might be struggling with mental illness, as well as knowing both how the person might react and how you can react.

Up until this point, I’ve offered the suggestions I have based on the idea - the concern or possibility - that someone you love might be struggling with mental illness.

You should know, though, that not every situation merely calls for you letting the person know you love and care about them and then waiting for the person to make the next move. Crisis situations - situations in which you fear for the person’s safety and the safety of others - do happen, and everyone should be prepared for taking action during these extreme circumstances.

After all, we all know how to get to the emergency room when someone’s broken a leg or had a heart attack, don’t we? Shouldn’t we also know what to do when it’s someone’s mental health - and maybe even life - that’s at stake?

Resources

Use Of Police And 911 For Mental Health And Psychological Emergencies: Here, Michael G. Conner, Psy.D, thoroughly explains the role of police officers and 911 services during mental health emergencies, and offers tips on when to call and how to deal with the professionals when you do call.

How To Help Someone In Crisis: With this valuable Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) resource, you can learn about crisis planning and how to talk to someone experiencing a crisis, as well as when hospitalization might be necessary and convincing your loved one to check in voluntarily.

Finding the Right Mental Health Care For You: Here, Mental Health America offers suggestions for finding the right mental health professional. These ideas might help you once the crisis has passed and it’s time for the next step (or, even before a crisis has the chance to happen).

Is Hospitalization Necessary: Another Mental Health America resource, this one provides information about the kinds of questions you should ask and what you should expect if your loved one is hospitalized.

Common Hotline Phone Numbers: The PsychCentral staff put together this list of common hotline phone numbers and it covers everything from the National AIDS Hotline and the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Hotline to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the National Institute on Drug Abuse Hotline.

Make Sure…

It’s good to know what kinds of questions to ask if your loved one is hospitalized or if it’s time to start looking for a mental health professional, but keep in mind that in the most extreme cases, chances are high that you’ll need to call someone for help. So, after you read up on the above resources, take the time to:

  • Make sure you know your local law enforcement’s telephone number. Most people will call 911, yes, but you never know when a direct call to the police station might be necessary.
  • Make sure you know how to give directions to your home. This might sound like a no brainer, but I live in a rural area, so if you don’t already know where I live you’re going to need some pretty good directions. Don’t bank on the emergency responders knowing their way around your town - be prepared to describe exactly how to get to your home (or where ever you are at the time).
  • Make sure you know how to get to the hospital. Crisis situations can happen anywhere, and you might find yourself in a situation in which it would make more sense for you to drive to the hospital than call and wait around for help.
  • Make sure you know what to say once you arrive at the hospital. This means knowing what kinds - if any - medications the person is taking and allergies the person has; how to get in touch with the person’s family (if you’re not a family member); and being able to describe to the doctors exactly what happened and what led up to it.

Don’t Hesitate

Calling for help when your family member, friend, or loved one seems to be having a mental health crisis might seem scary. You might worry about what others will think of him, or whether he’ll be mad at you for taking action. Do not let these concerns make you hesitate. If you sincerely believe the person is experiencing a mental health crisis, what others think of him or his being mad at you in the end doesn’t matter. What matters is his health, his safety, and his life. Period.

Have you ever experienced a situation in which someone you care for needed emergency mental health care? How did you handle the situation? What advice would you offer others?


Related Posts by Category



Tidak ada komentar:

Favorites