A crisis occurs when a person becomes overwhelmed by events. It may be triggered by events which bring about sudden change to the person's situation, like a bereavement, being made redundant or experiencing relationship difficulties.
Failure to readjust their usual coping mechanisms may occur, possibly leading to a raised state of anxiety, panic attacks, or psychosis.
Crisis therapy is a relatively intense, short-term intervention that should start as soon as possible after the onset of the crisis, in order to enable the individual to overcome it and, where possible, avoid a stay in hospital. This can be achieved through identifying the cause of the problem and reducing stress by overcoming the root cause of the problem and encouraging appropriate problem solving mechanisms.
Crisis Teams, working to prevent hospitalisation, are based at Prince Charles and Royal Glamorgan hospitals. They deal with people with urgent mental health problems.
Their contact details can be found on the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board Website