Stage 1
The first of the five stages of crisis takes place when the individual is at his/her normal level of functioning, which may be a stable or unstable lifestyle. When an external or internal incident (also known as the precipitating event) creates tension and anxiety, the person begins to experience crisis. Examples of precipitating events include loss of a loved one, relationship breakup, a downward change in social or financial status, diagnosis of a major illness, and threat of arrest or incarceration.
When faced with a crisis, the person brings all of his/her primary resources to help resolve the problem. These primary resources may be coping skills acquired during life experiences, but the resources may also be very familiar, such as immediate family and close friends. If the individuals primary resources are sufficient to handle the crisis, the crisis is resolved and the person's emotional stability returns.
If s/he is unable to resolve the problem using the familiar resources, then the second stage of crisis begins. Some people have better coping skills than other people. Some will move through the stages and reach the breaking point rather quickly, while others may take months or years to reach the same point.
Stage 2
Disorganized thinking is caused by lack of success in solving the troublesome problem or relieving stress. Emotional discomfort and anxiety increase as time passes, thereby creating more tension. The person in crisis then begins to turn toward secondary resources. These resources are members of the person's extended family, less-familiar friends, and other persons less known to the affected person. They are perceived to be potentially helpful in resolving the situation or at least lessening the growing emotional pain. If these secondary resources also fail, feelings of helplessness, personal failure and lowered self-esteem usually develop and lead to more tension and anxiety. Attempts to solve the problem give way to the emotional pain of not having solved the crisis. Life-changing decisions become based on emotion rather than reason.
Stage 3
Suicide threats or attempts are usually made at this point. When a person has reached a stage of extreme emotional pain and has no perceivable resources, s/he is in the third stage of crisis, the breaking point. There has been a still further rise in tension and emotional pain caused by the unsuccessful attempt to solve the problem. The more advanced the state of the individual's emotional crisis, the further s/he parts from familiar sources of support and the more dependent s/he is upon unfamiliar sources of help. The goal of the person in crisis focuses on the reduction of the emotional pain they feel.
The person seeks additional resources that could be anyone: acquaintances, bartenders, cabdrivers, ministers, or counseling agencies. Other, non-traditional resources may also be explored such as mystics, faith healers, experimental medicines or treatments, and so on.
At this point, the individual may also turn toward end of the line types of resources, such as a hospital emergency room, police, ambulance, or an anonymous caregiver at an emergency telephone service.
Interaction of a caregiver at the stage of disorganization or at the breaking point is an opportunity to provide meaningful assistance. If someone intervenes with the at-risk person at this stage or one of the previous stages, then crisis resolution may begin.
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The Effort -The Family Lifeline Since 1953
1820 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95811 Phone: 916-325-5556 Phone: 916-313-8400 Fax: 916-444-5620 E-mail: info@theeffort.org |
