LEARNING OUTCOME AND OBJECTIVES:  Upon completion of this course, you will have increased your knowledge of appropriate responses and care for persons experiencing a mental health crisis, ranging from short-term intervention to emergency management of a life-threatening situation. Specific learning objectives to address potential knowledge gaps include:

• Review types of crises, mental health emergencies, and how to recognize them.
• Describe the crisis intervention process and models of intervention.
• Summarize the assessment and management of a patient experiencing a mental health crisis.
• Discuss the appropriate care for patients experiencing a crisis related to substance use or a mental illness.
• Identify ethical and legal matters regarding mental health issues.

INTRODUCTION

Everyone experiences personal crises. Crises are acute, time-limited events experienced as overwhelming emotional reactions to one’s perception of an event. Crises are experienced by people of all ages, cultures, and socioeconomic conditions and may or may not be related to a specific mental disorder.

Such crises may be generated by external events, intrinsic processes, or a combination of both. A crisis for one person may not be for another, and what is now a crisis may not have been a crisis before or would not be a crisis in a different setting. Many crises will resolve favorably without intervention. Others, however, may require professional crisis management (Novalis et al., 2020).

Mental health issues are widespread, affecting 20% of U.S. adults every year. Many nurses and other healthcare professionals are often the frontline providers when an individual is facing a mental health crisis. However, many of these professionals may feel a lack of educational preparation, confidence, and experience to intervene appropriately. Without knowledge and skills, front-line healthcare workers may experience frustration, unhappiness, fear, and a perception of danger when interacting with patients facing a mental crisis or mental health issues (Peralta et al., 2021).