What Is a Crisis?

A crisis is a situation in which the individual perceives a sudden loss of his or her ability to use effective problem solving and coping skills. Life threatening or traumatic events or events that slowly over time overwhelm a person can cause a crisis.

A crisis overrides an individual’s normal psychological and biological coping skills and interferes with logical thinking and the ability to problem-solve in a healthy way. In general a crisis lasts for a limited time, but during the time of crisis a person is at high risk for acting in ways that may be harmful to himself or to others.

Symptoms of a Crisis

• Feeling extremely anxious and unable to think clearly
• Feeling hopeless about the future
• Feeling depressed and tearful most of the day
• Becoming easily irritable for little provocation
• Insomnia or sleeping too much to avoid the crisis
• Thoughts about death or suicide
• Difficulty thinking of solutions to the crisis

Types of Crisis

There are many situations that can be experienced as a crisis and individuals cope differently in difference situations. The following is a brief list of the type of situations that may provoke a crisis.

• Receiving a diagnosis of a life threatening illness
• Learning that a loved one has died
• Learning a loved one has a life threatening illness or been in an accident
• Losing employment
• Witnessing a traumatic event
• Being a victim to a crime
• The breakup of a significant relationship
• Experiencing prolonged physical or sexual abuse from a family member
• Learning a loved one has a life threatening illness or been in an accident
• Children and youth bullied at school can experience that as a crisis
• Children and youth under pressure to achieve at school

What is Crisis Intervention?

Crisis intervention is the availability of a mental health professional to offer help and immediate intervention at the time of a crisis.

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Behavioral Health Service provides 24 hour access to assistance for a crisis.

Help can be obtained by calling the crisis service telephone number or going to the emergency room at either of the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center's campuses in Berkeley or Oakland.

View Alta Bates Campus Map, Berkeley

View Summit Campus Map, Oakland

Contact Us - We Can Help

For more information about our program, or for crisis intervention, please contact us at the following number:

Crisis Intervention: (510) 204-4405