What Does Crisis Point Mean To You?

[anonymous]

If someone described themselves as being 'at crisis point' what would you assume that to mean?

If you said it of yourself, what would you be meaning by it?

 

[sun seeker]

I have trouble with that one too, I think a lot of us do. There have been threads on this topic before. We get so used to living in crisis that it's hard to decide when we've reached a different level of crisis that means we need to take more extreme measures.

Maybe when your usual methods of keeping going aren't working anymore and you can't cope with life? When your internal feelings of distress are demanding most of your energy and you have little or nothing left to focus outside of yourself?

Then there is deciding what to do about it. I am definitely feeling I am in crisis, but have no idea what to do to help myself that I haven't done already. That's not a good place to be. Do you have an idea of what you need to do if you decide you are in fact in crisis?

 

[oasis2003]

Feeling in crises to me would be there is no way out but to kill myself. I would feel so low and trapped that the only way to stop the feelings overwhelmingness and then the numbness would be to stop it all and I have a plan. hopefully I would ring the number I have if I get into crises but recently I am not sure I would. it is difficult living like this I see no end to the dark empty feelings.

 

[ButterflyBean]

My crisis point does not involve anything physical, only emotion. For me, it occurs when I get so overwhelmed with feelings that I can't process anything. I also experience constant suicidal ideation and think about unconventional ways to release the pain because I'm in a wheelchair. I only call my therapist when I'm at this point, so when I send an email or call her answering service, she knows it's serious. Ironically, I could really use my therapist right now, but it's late where I live, and I see her on Tuesday. Maybe I will send an email tomorrow. Just having a difficult night…

 

[anonymous]

Thanks for the replies.

I know my initial posting wasn't very informative. What prompted me to ask was someone telling me that they were at crisis point, my feeling concerned about that based on my own meaning of it, but then discovering that their idea of crisis, and mine, do not seem to be the same.

I was wondering I suppose whether there is some standardized interpretation of crisis that most people would understand it as, but perhaps it's more subjective than that.

 

[joeylittle]

I think there are two predominant interpretations.

One, "I'm one or more steps away from the edge" - and two, "I'm falling off the edge".

In my own life, I know I didn't know my crisis point til I hit it (went over the edge), but I've known people who will believe they've hit crisis when things have just surpassed what they thought they could tolerate, and they are in that zone where they don't know if the edge is ten steps away, or 20, or one.

It's a hard thing to evaluate. It's why determining if someone is truly a danger to themselves or others takes some finesse, and why mental health professionals often err way too far on the side of caution - or, miss the signs of a (quiet) crisis.