What Is a Crisis?

Different types of crises, signs you're having one, and what to do

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At A Glance

Being in crisis means that you’re so overwhelmed by a situation that your coping skills are not effective and you can’t make decisions or take action. 

A crisis in mental health refers to a person’s reaction to a traumatic situation or event. People respond to crises in different ways, but there is no “right way” to react. 

In this article, we’ll talk about what a crisis means and the different types of crises, along with examples of crises that might affect you or someone you love. 

What Is a Crisis?

There are different ways to define a crisis, depending on who you ask. 

When we’re talking about it in terms of mental health, a crisis is when you are so overwhelmed with emotions like fear or anxiety that your go-to coping mechanisms aren’t helping. Being in a state of crisis means that you’re so confused and afraid that you can’t make decisions or take action, and you may start to lose hope.

Here are a few other ways that experts have defined a crisis: 

  • “People are in a state of crisis when they face an obstacle to important life goals—an obstacle that is, for a time, insurmountable by the use of customary methods of problem-solving.” (Caplan, 1961)
  • “…an upset in equilibrium at the failure of one’s traditional problem-solving approach which results in disorganization, hopelessness, sadness, confusion, and panic.” (Lillibridge and Klukken, 1978)
  • “…crisis is a perception or experience of an event or situation as an intolerable difficulty that exceeds the person’s current resources and coping mechanisms.” (James and Gilliland, 2001)

Types of Crises

You might think of a crisis as a traumatic event like a car accident, natural disaster, or another calamity that seems to come out of nowhere and causes a great deal of suffering for the folks involved. These are common kinds of crises, but they’re not the only type.

Here are a few other types of crises: 

  • Developmental crises: This type of crisis is part of the process of growing up. Sometimes, a crisis is actually a predictable part of the cycle of life, like the crises that are described in Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development.
  • Existential crises: These types of inner conflicts that lead to a crisis are related to ideas like your life purpose, direction, and spirituality. A midlife crisis is an example of a crisis that is rooted in existential anxiety.
  • Situational crises: Sudden and unexpected crises include accidents and natural disasters. Getting in a car accident, being affected by a flood or an earthquake, or being the victim of a crime are a few examples of situational crises.

How Do You Know If You’re In a Crisis?

Losing your job, getting divorced, or being involved in an accident are more obvious kinds of crises. But sometimes, a crisis is less obvious and you might not pick up on the signs that you’re going through one until they become quite extreme. 

Signs of a Crisis

Common signs of a mental health crisis include:

  • Changes in weight
  • Decreased performance at school or work
  • Dramatic shifts in sleep habits
  • Neglect of personal hygiene
  • Sudden changes in mood
  • Withdrawal from normal activities

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What to Do If You’re In Crisis

If you realize that you’re in crisis, the first step is to reach out to your support network so you don’t have to try to navigate through it alone. 

While your family and friends are definitely part of your support network, a crisis can be a serious threat to your well-being, so you want to make sure that a professional is aware of what you’re going through. 

If you’re already working with a mental health provider, let them know what’s going on. If not, get in touch with your regular healthcare provider and ask if they can connect you with someone who can help you take care of your mental health.

There are also likely to be resources in your community like crisis centers and support groups that can be safe places to turn to for help. 

Ask “What Do I Need?” 

As much as you can, try to focus on what's important at the moment. Being in a crisis can make your perspective wonky, and the confusion can even lead to memory issues. 

Ask yourself what you need right now. Are you in an unsafe situation that you need to get out of? Do you need to get some things off your plate so you can focus on dealing with the crisis at hand and making sure that you’re doing the basics of self-care to get through the day? 

What Is Crisis Counseling?

Crisis counseling is a short-term intervention that helps people in crisis access assistance, support, resources, and stabilization. It’s not the same thing as long-term psychotherapy—though that might be the next step to help someone recover from a crisis.

Take Care of Yourself 

Try to look for opportunities within a crisis situation to take away some stress. This might mean asking people to help you with something like chores or errands, asking for help at work or school, and using stress management techniques such as meditation or deep breathing.

The basics of self-care—so, eating enough, sleeping enough, and doing activities that help your body stay strong—make up a foundation you can stand on as you face a crisis. 

Look for ways to lessen your stress, whether it means asking other people to share your burdens or using stress management techniques such as meditation or deep breathing. Practice good self-care, each a healthy diet, and try to get plenty of sleep each night.

Helping Someone Through a Crisis

If a friend or loved one is going through a crisis, you can be there to offer practical and emotional support. 

Listening

Really listening to your loved one’s thoughts, fears, grief, or anxiety is one of the most supportive things you can do for them during a crisis.

Offer them support and encouragement but don’t give them unsolicited advice. Coming up with simplistic solutions can come off as judgmental or even patronizing to someone who is in the middle of a crisis. 

Just be present and open while your loved one shares how they’re feeling. Let them know that you are there for them.

Taking Care of Practical Stuff 

All the basic little things that make up a typical day can feel both impossible and pointless to someone who is going through a major crisis that is demanding all of their physical and mental energy. 

Helping a loved one with housework, grocery shopping, cooking, or errands can be an enormous help if they’re in crisis. Not only does it take things off their “to-do” list, but it also ensures that they have their basic needs and comforts taken care of. 

Help Them Access More Support

Encourage your loved one to reach out to a mental health professional for more support. If they’re so overwhelmed that they don’t even know where to start, you can step in and offer to drive them to a crisis center or look for a therapist in your community. 

Checking In With Yourself

When someone you love is in crisis, you may feel like you need to focus on their needs and well-being and put your own on the back burner. But ignoring your needs will make it harder for you to offer your loved one support—and you may even get burnt out.

When you acknowledge your needs and take steps to make sure they're being met, you're also leading by example. If your loved one is having a hard time accepting their own needs or has guilt about meeting them, seeing you practice self-care can make them feel like it's "OK." And if they're at a loss about what to do, having you model helpful coping skills during a tough time can be informative and encouraging, too.

12 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd
Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."