How long does a crisis typically last for?
4-6 weeks
What is the most critical intervention for a patient in a crisis?
What do you need from me right now
How is a crisis described?
When event or circumstances overwhelms individual’s ability to resolve or process the event.
What are the characteristics of a crisis?
- Experience a sudden event with little or no time to prepare
- Perception of the event as overwhelming or life-threatening
- Loss or decrease in communication with significant others
- Sense of displacement from the familiar
- An actual or perceived loss
What are the factors that influence a crisis?
- Persons perception of the event
- The availability of emotional support
- The availability of adequate coping mechanisms
What are the three types of crisis?
- Situational
- Maturational
- Adventitious
What are the risk factors for a crisis?
- Accumulation of unresolved losses
- Current life stressors
- Concurrent mental and physical health issues
- Excessive fatigue or pain
- Age and developmental stage
What are the clinical manifestations of a crisis?
- Difficulty problem solving
- Disorganized thought process
- Difficulty processing information
- Disorientation, vulnerability
- Increased tension, helplessness
- Fearfulness, sense of being overwhelmed
- Hypervigilance
- Fight of flight response
In some cultures what may be considered a weakness?
Signs of:
- Pain
- Sorrow
- Fear
Older adults may resist expressing what types of emotions?
Negative emotions
You should encourage children to express what?
Express and verbalize feelings or thoughts
What types of medical needs should immediately be addressed when a patient is experiencing a crisis?
- Pain following injury
- Threat of infection
- Sleep disturbance
- Anxiety or depression
What types of pharmacologic therapies could be given for a patient experiencing a crisis?
Antianxiety and antidepressant medications
What nonpharmacologic therapies could be done for a patient in a crisis?
- Therapeutic communication
- Remain with client
- Provide for safety
- Use strategies to decrease anxiety
- Teach relaxation techniques
- Identify and teach coping skills
- Crisis intervention
What is involved in a crisis intervention?
- Short term helping process
- Assist client to recognize, work through crisis
- Restore at least precrisis level of functioning
- Includes various members of support network and professionals from a variety of specialties
When is a temporary relocation called for when a patient is in a crisis?
- When they need assistance in finding a shelter
- Clients who are homeless are subject to abuse
What alternative therapies are used for a patient undergoing a crisis?
- Holistic approach; connection between mind, body and spirit
- Prayer for self and others
What individual assessment is done for a patient undergoing a crisis?
- Client’s safety and safety of others
- Assess ability to process info
- Assess physical condition
- Client’s residence and coping style
- Precipitating events
- Situational supports
- Client’s perceptions of the crisis
- Any guilt a disaster survivor may feel.
What is involved in the family assessment when someone is undergoing a crisis?
- Trauma reverberates through entire family
- Meet with family members
What is involved in the community assessment when someone is undergoing a crisis?
Assess basic and support resources
What is involved in the sociocultural assessment when someone is undergoing a crisis?
- Client’s culture influences interpretation of and response to an event
- Affects crisis intervention
What should be involved in the evaluation of a patient undergoing a crisis?
- Client determines strengths, resources available to assist with crisis management
- Client accurately perceives, describes events
- Client creates a plan of action for coping
- Client verbalizes feeling of control over managing the crisis
