Redefining mental health crises

When we think of a mental health crisis, we often imagine an intense manifestation of a negative state of mind that occurs unpredictably. In a clinical setting, the evaluation of this type of crisis is mainly based on a biomedical perspective where the emphasis is placed on diagnosis, treatments, medication and acute distress.

However, Emilie Hudson, doctoral student under the direction of Marie-Hélène Goulet, professor at the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Montreal, presents in a recent article a new definition of this type of crisis which goes beyond the essentially biomedical framework. .

“Although existing definitions appear to recognize the contextual aspects of crisis, the concepts are often reduced to the immediate distress and needs of the individual, without considering the social structures and structural elements that contribute to the crisis, the mitigate or help resolve it,” explains the doctoral student.

Based on a literature review, this update takes into account the precipitating factors of the crisis, its characteristics and its consequences.

A holistic conceptualization

Emilie Hudson reiterates: “The mental health crisis concerns much more than the emergency department where the person must travel to receive short-term care, we must consider all the structural, social and interpersonal elements which play a role before, during and after the crisis.” And it is these various dimensions that his analysis made it possible to identify.

Several pre-crisis conditions were brought to light, such as pre-existing vulnerabilities, relationship problems and difficulties with activities of daily living. As for the characteristics of the crisis, they include in particular its temporality and its symptoms, the functional decline it causes and its effects on loved ones. Finally, the consequences of the crisis include the search for help as well as the prospects for development and future dangers.

For more appropriate interventions

At the same time, the results of Emilie Hudson’s survey highlighted the contrast between the terms used in healthcare settings and those used by people who have experienced a mental health crisis. The first group largely favors clinical expressions such as psychiatric emergency or mental health emergency, while the second prefers more metaphorical terms like collapse, vicious circle or feeling of being in a fog.

“These findings invite us to see mental health as something more global and nuanced and to consider the person as a whole. And it also reconfigures the way we provide care. We hope that the clinical teams, but also the police force and those involved in the field, take into consideration more dimensions to act in a way that is more adapted to the needs of the person facing them,” concludes the nurse.