What Do You Consider A Crisis?

[Kinda pensive]

I'm a 20yo c trauma sufferer in therapy for about a year. I'm a long way from where I was at the start of treatment and refer to it as a crisis period when I depended on self harm, constantly though of suicide, had regular panic attacks and struggled to hold down work or uni. And yet, what is a crisis? Where do you draw the line between distress and crisis?

 

[shimmerz]

Crisis, for me, is
1. something that is potentially life threatening
2. something that disrupts social stability (job, housing etc)

 

[Suzetig]

I'm with @shimmerz, for me crisis is either threat to life or something that completely stops me from functioning. While I don't tend toward feeling suicidal, I've had a number of episodes that have stopped me in my tracks in terms of not being able to leave the house, go to work, manage the house etc.

 

[Chava]

I think the line is actually somewhat subjective. Getting dangerously drunk used to not be a crisis for me. Not at all. Now it's a crisis because I don't actually want to die and I do scary things in blackouts. Right now if I even think about drinking, it is a crisis for me.

But what you said fits for crisis for me too generally...not being able to do work/school, constant suicidal thoughts. I haven't been suicidal for a long time and I don't actually think of my self harm as a CRISIS! crisis. It's a "crisis" where I need to reach out somehow, find safety, contact my therapist, get grounded. For me the major crisis are the ER types or ones where I'm putting my life in danger, which I've done a lot.

So for me there is stress, meltdown, crisis, and major crisis, all on some sort of continuum that is not very black and white. The last couple times I went to ER, I call 911 myself. There's a chance I would have lived okay on my own and woken up the next day, but I was scared. But in the past I would have kept drinking and not considered it a crisis at all...though in these circumstances when I get to ER I usually have alcohol poisoning, oxygen issues, acute hypokalemia and other signs of bodily crisis requiring fluids and heart monitors. But even when I did end up in ER in the past, that wasn't even a crisis. I went back to school/work like nothing happened...made no effort to find better support or change anything.

So while it would seem like putting ourselves in danger would represent a crisis, it's pretty subjective. Putting our lives at risk really IS a crisis, but I have absolutely felt that as not the case in the past. I'm glad I see crisis situations more clearly now because it means I care.

 

[Gem5y]

Similar thoughts I think here. When I am very destructive and I am not functioning properly are I guess the biggest for me. Also when I am in periods of constant triggering. I think crisis is a continuum as is wellness. I am currently very anxious remembering lots, depression is bad I am unable to work but compared to crisis a few years ago this is much better.

 

[Panda Bear]

1. Puts my kids at risk in anyway because my inability to parent safely.

2. Puts me at risk of acting on suicidal thoughts.

 

[Tinyflame]

I can't seem to think of preserving my own well being as a crisis, but because I/it could cause a crisis for another I know I am 'supposed to' not do anything (harmful to myself).

I think somewhere probably the 'sanest' thing is to try to deal wih stuff before it's at the worst. But that really requires putting thoughts and doubts aside, and reaching out.

 

[Tinyflame]

Constricted thinking. Desperation. Emotional numbing with suicidal planning.

 

[Weemie]

If I end up in the ER. There was a period of time when I was 15-18 where I was in the ER every other week. Downing pills, slashed something a little too close, ranting and screaming. Fortunately I've been stable for about six years.

 

[Friday]

One person's crisis is another person's normal.

For me, regardless of distress, a crisis is when something could go 2 ways. Crisis point, tipping point, however one wants to call it. It's outside the realm of their normal, and beyond their skill set in dealing with it.

 

[Ronin]

Distress is when I have a plan I don't know will work.

Crisis is when I have no plan. & / or crisis is when I have people in the way of my plan.

 

[theshadowoftheliving]

I'm trying to figure this one out, too. I can't seem to think of my situation as being a crisis because it could always be worse ... I'm trying to think of it in terms of what would be a crisis for someone else (meaning, I would send a friend to the hospital for acting out suicidal behaviors, so why not send myself?). This is a situation where I think I need to accept that I just don't have good judgement for myself.