Whether you’re dealing with a crisis, struggling with major life stresses, concerned about someone’s mental health, or need to refer a patient for specialized care, you’ll find helpful resources here. If you have a mental health emergency, call 9-1-1.
Navigating a Mental Health Crisis
Handling a mental health crisis can be challenging when you have only moments to respond. Just as CPR can be critical in the first minutes following a heart attack, knowing how to respond to a person experiencing a mental health crisis can also save a life.
It’s essential to seek help immediately for a person who is having thoughts of suicide or at risk of harming himself or others. It's not only a warning sign that the person may be suicidal; it's a cry for help. Treat it as an emergency.
It’s important to know how to recognize the warning signs and what to do.
Seeking Help for Mental Illness
Nearly anyone with symptoms of a mental disorder, emotional distress, or difficulty coping with life’s challenges can benefit from professional help.
Disorders of the brain are medical conditions that are diagnosable and treatable. Mental dysfunctions are not moral failures, nor signs of weakness or poor character. They result from the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors.
It’s important to reach out for help when struggling with symptoms of mental, emotional, or behavioral issues that cause concern.
It is essential to seek help immediately in emergency or crisis situations, where there is risk of suicide or danger to oneself or others.
The Value of Getting Help
Obtaining help for mental conditions can improve one’s quality of life.
It can:
• Relieve emotional pain
• Potentially head off more serious mental illnesses
• Improve day-to-day functioning
• Remove obstacles to achieving goals
• Foster better relationships and improve family life
• Promote better understanding of oneself
• Boost overall health and well-being
