The
immediate issue is to focus on taking action which rapidly moves your concern
from emergency to an acceptable level of stability. To do this
effectively, you need to have a general idea about "where you are at"
and "where you want to be". While what people think
constitutes an Emergency or Crisis varies greatly, I find using the scale below
to be helpful. If you can be honest with yourself, consider using it to rate your own level of crisis. The
Emergent area is the one of primary concern.
That is because Urgent and Routine
can be handled during normal business hours, when more resources are more
readily available. Emergent
* Immediate threat of injury to self or others *Address
now Urgent
* Significant situation but without immediate threat of injury *
Address within next 24-48 hours Routine
* No foreseeable injury threat *
Address within 7 days. The
concept of "immediate threat of injury" is subject to a
variety of interpretations. In this case, a tool to use would be
to consider what is the likelihood that doing nothing will result
in the need for emergency medical attention. Working
through the Crisis
Stop
You need to sit down for a moment and take a break Breathe
Strongly inhale through nose to a count of 4, then exhale
through mouth to a count of 8. Repeat 3 times. Focus
on what you do have, not on what you don't. Think
about what the Immediate
problem is and what you have to do, not to solve it but to "make it
safe until tomorrow". If you can truly do this, you have moved
from emergent
to urgent!!! Act
Do what it takes to insure safety even
if it means calling an ambulance or a Hot
Line. This includes controlling
self-destructive behaviors or statements so that you can access a resource
during normal business hours. 
|
|
National
Suicide Hot Line: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) National
Domestic
Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
1-800-787-3224 (TDD) National
Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4A-CHILD Boys
Town National Hotline 1-800-448-3000 Center
for Substance Abuse Treatment National Hotline 1-800-662-HELP National
Cocaine Hotline 1-800-COCAINE National
STD Hotline 1-800-227-8922 AIDS
Hotline 1-800-342-2437 Information
Lines National
Institute of Mental Health Information Line 1-800-421-4211 |
makes no claim about
the validity of the information nor the reliability of the resources. 