ASSUME that any suicide threat is serious and treat it as a danger to the person’s life.
IF THERE IS A SUICIDE THREAT: Remember: It is a myth that people who threaten to kill themselves don’t do it. Remember to take your CARE Kit if you follow emergency transport to the hospital or police station. Print a copy of our psychiatric crisis guidelineswith your list of essential telephone numbers.
BE VERY CLEAR that you are seeking involuntary psychiatric hospitalization and NOT arrest.
For example: “I am frightened he will hurt me,” or “She is throwing things at the walls and I cannot get her into a car.”
EXPLAIN why you cannot handle the situation yourself.
For example, don’t say, “My son is a danger to self,” say “My son says he is going to blow his brains out and I know he has a gun in his car trunk,” or “My daughter is setting fire to wastebaskets all over the house.”
DESCRIBE the behavior you are seeing that most closely matches the laws in your state that are used to hospitalize someone for emergency psychiatric care or to initiate civil commitment proceedings.
For example: “My daughter has bipolar disorder, she is not taking her medication and she is manic.”
MAKE IT CLEAR it clearthat you are calling about someone having a psychiatric crisis.
Do you have someone assigned to handle mental health emergencies?" For example: “I am calling about an emergency involving mental illness.
ASK who in the department is trained to deal with people who are having a mental health crisis.
Please include your city, state and telephone number in your message. If you have a question about using the laws in your state to get someone you know into court-ordered treatment, email and someone will respond within a few days. The Treatment Advocacy Center does not operate a crisis hotline. If your instincts tell you a situation is dangerous, it probably is. Acting swiftly and effectively when you see warning signs of a developing emergency can produce better results than allowing the situation to deteriorate before acting. Open this link on your smartphone for psychiatric crisis tips.Īs a family member or close friend, you are the one most likely to recognize when someone you love is approaching or in a crisis.