Mental Health Crisis: What to Do

If there is a mental health emergency, i.e.

• THREAT, IDEATION OR ATTEMPTED SUICIDE OR SELF-HARM
• ACTUAL SELF-HARM
• THREAT OF OR ACTUAL VIOLENCE TO OTHERS - OR
• PSYCHOSIS - PSYCHOTIC BEHAVIOUR, DELUSIONS, HALLUCINATIONS, ETC.

Then it is likely that we are dealing with a mental health emergency, and there is NO TIME to second guess. These things need to happen:

• AMBULANCE CALLED/URGENT TRANSPORT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF THE NEAREST HOSPITAL - in Australia, the number is 000 - refer to this attachment for relevant emergency numbers in all other countries: OVERSEAS EMERGENCY NUMBERS
• ALL PHYSICAL TRAUMA ATTENDED TO AND TREATED
• A FULL EVAULATION BY MENTAL HEALTH TRIAGE WITH A PSYCHIATRIST
• IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION OF THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES WITH RELEVANT PHARMACEUTICAL TREATMENT (as prescribed by the physician in any event)

(then when it has been de-escalated to a non-emergency)

• ONGOING CARE IN THE MENTAL HEALTH WARD/FACILITY TO TREAT THAT PERSON FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION
• FOLLOW-UP AND REGULAR COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY, OR TREATMENT BY A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
• REGULAR OVERVIEW BY PSYCHIATRIST