What is a mental health crisis?
Experiencing a mental health crisis can look different for different people but it can include:
- Being at risk of harm to self or others
- Anxiety or panic attacks
- Flashbacks or nightmares of past experiences
- Feeling suicidal
- Feelings of wanting to self-harm, or acting on these feelings
- Feeling extremely high, fearing others want to harm you, or hearing voices
- Withdrawing from friends and family
- Difficulties with communication
- Not being able to think about other things
A mental health crisis can occur because of triggers such as bereavement, addiction, relationship breakdown, work related stress, exams - anything that can heighten stress and can feel like a lot to deal with. Someone might have an existing mental health condition and experience a mental health crisis, or it can be something they have never experienced before. It is usually very frightening for the person experiencing the crisis and those around them.