Are you noticing some worrying changes in your friend’s mental health? Are they withdrawn and seem sad to the point of despair all the time? Or are they talking too fast and too much while seeming impossibly energetic and restless? Or perhaps they’ve shared with you they have had thoughts of self-harm or suicide, which would of course have anyone worried!
It seems likely that your friend is having a mental health crisis. So what can you do to help?
Start the conversation
It can be hard to know what to do when you think your friend is experiencing a mental health crisis. You might worry about making the crisis worse by bringing it up, but reaching out to your friend can be one of the best ways to help. Consider asking things like:
- Are you having a hard time lately?
- Do you have a mental health professional you see already?
- I’d like to help you with your mental health, will that be all right with you?
- Are you thinking about suicide?
People in crisis can find it hard to ask for help; they may feel help is impossible, or undeserved. Some people in crisis may also not yet notice the changes so they’re unaware of just how bad things may be. When your loved one is in crisis, starting the conversation for them, so they don’t have to, can be one of the best things you can do.
Encourage honesty and listen without judgment
When your loved one is in crisis and you start the conversation about the changes in their mental health, they may share some thoughts and feelings that can be distressing to hear. It’s critically important at this time to withhold all judgment and listen with empathy, so your friend can feel safe being honest with you. Validate your friend even in their crisis, letting them know you understand they’re struggling, and you’re grateful they’re willing to share.
Find your friend the right kind of mental health help
Emergency mental health care
If your friend has symptoms that make it clear they’re in immediate danger they need emergency mental health care. Ask them if they already have an emergency plan in place, and if so, help them follow the steps.
If your friend doesn’t already have an emergency mental health care plan set up, you can help get them immediate care in a few different ways. You can have your friend call or text 988 for immediate emotional support. You can also call 911 to have emergency medical services sent to help right away.
You can also take your friend to your closest emergency room, to help them get immediate psychiatric care. Whatever you and your friend choose, they will likely be anxious about what will happen next. Let them know you’ll make sure they get the help they need.
Urgent care for mental health
When your friend is experiencing a mental health crisis, where their symptoms are serious and their need for care is immediate, but they are not yet in any danger, a mental health urgent care is their best option. Instead of long lead times to schedule a first therapist appointment, mental health urgent cares like the service provided by Patterns Psychiatry provide mental healthcare within 24 hours.
What’s a mental health urgent care?
Mental health urgent care serves as a care bridge between a mental health crisis and a long-term care plan. A mental health urgent care practitioner can help your friend with immediate therapy support, medication options, a treatment plan, and assistance with referrals to other services for longer-term care. The short-term care the urgent care provider offers will be personalized and give your friend as many options as possible for their care.
What are some signs your friend would benefit from mental health urgent care?
- New or worsening mental health symptoms
- About to run out of medication, or medication is no longer working
- Serious life changes (an illness, divorce, job loss, etc.)
- Feeling like they don’t want to live (if they have a plan to harm themselves, this is an emergency, see the section above)
Help your friend stick to their care plan, with boundaries in place
While it’s always a huge relief to have a care plan, your friend will still be in crisis while trying to enact their new treatment plan If you can listen openly and help with some logistics in the beginning, your friend will be able to take the wheel fully as they heal, directing their own care process.
That said, it’s not appropriate for your friend to demand your attention day or night, and you’ll only be able to help them for so long before you burn out if you take on too much of the process yourself. This can hurt your friendship, and will not support your friend in getting care. Think about what boundaries you want to place on your support, so you only offer what you think will keep you mentally healthy, while also supporting your friend on their own mental health journey.
Practice self-care and lean on your own support system
It’s intense to help a friend through a mental health crisis, and it can take a toll on you too. Lean on trusted friends, family, or your therapist, letting yourself vent about what’s happening. Reflect honestly on how this is impacting you, and whether you need to focus more on self-care. Rest and comfort will help you remain resilient, so you can better support your friend through their crisis.
By encouraging your friend to be honest and open, connecting them to mental health urgent care in Texas, Minnesota, and Iowa, and taking good care of yourself along the way, you’ll go a long way toward helping your friend climb out of a mental health crisis and onto the path of healing.
