Nick Benas - Mental Health Emergencies: A Guide to Recognizing and Handling Mental Health Crises

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Mental Health Emergencies
Text Copyright 2017 Nick Benas and Michele Hart

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN: 978-1-57826-674-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

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DISCLAIMER

The information provided in this book is an information resource only, and is not intended for use as a diagnostic or treatment tool. It is meant to supplement, not replace, proper professional medical and mental health training. The authors have spent most of their professional career working in various positions in social services and mental health. This information is not intended for patient/consumer education, nor does it represent any patient/physician or provider-type relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional clinical diagnosis and/or treatment.

Please note that, as a first responder, you may be confronted with situations involving unique and uncontrollable environmental factors and accompanying risk, including risk of injury and, in some cases, even extreme danger or death. The author and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their own safety, and truly understand and know their own limits. Before practicing the tips and sharing the knowledge described in this book, be sure that you are not taking risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and comfort level. While we do believe that reaching outside your comfort zone offers opportunities to grow, it is strongly recommended that you consult a medical and mental health professional as you start to dig deeper. Think wisely and exercise good judgment before helping others.

CONTENTS

Part I:
An Introduction to Mental Health

Part II:
Mental Health Conditions: The Quick Reference Guide 33

Part III:
Getting Ahead of a Mental Health Crisis

DUTY TO ACT AND
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

I N SOME CASES, first responders find themselves paralyzed by the fear of lawsuits brought on by recipients of care involving consent, tort (wrongful act or an infringement of right), negligence, duty to act, and breach of duty. However, in most (if not all) cases, the first responder is protected from any legal liability for negligence, provided you do your job to the best of your ability and in accordance with the professional training you receive as a first responder. Most states have Good Samaritan laws that protect citizens, including yourself, who act independently of their on duty status and who provide basic voluntary emergency assistance. Please note that this law does not protect you against extreme carelessness or gross negligence.

DOCUMENTATION

As a first responder, documentation is paramount. If the encounter is not documented, then by court standards it never happened, and it is quite difficult to go off your memory to recall specific details about said event. Your profession should already require you to carry this out; for those of you acting alone, its a good idea to get in the habit of documenting your encounters. Most first responders have standard departmental operating procedures on how to properly document encounters with subjects. These documented encounters usually include some form of SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan) notes. SOAP notes are the framework for most medical and mental health professionals and are integral for their documentation process.