Tackling Mental Health Crises

Tackling Mental Health Crises provides a practical guide to combining social and psychological responses to mental health problems. David Kingdon and Marie Finn look at what constitutes a crisis, be it an individual crisis presentation or a situational crisis for services. They reject current diagnostic approaches to mental health, focussing instead on a symptom-led approach and keeping an awareness of the intervention experience for clients and carers throughout. Subjects covered include: - engaging and assessing the client - risk assessment and management - emotional, behavioural, cognitive and physical presentations - service teams and settings. The emphasis throughout is on taking a holistic look at crisis prevention and management, encompassing both the work that takes place at an individual level and the wider impact of societal and political issues. Containing clear direction and practical advice, combined with numerous case studies and commentary from users and carers themselves, this book will be of great use to anyone involved with dealing with mental health crises.

David Kingdon has worked as a psychiatrist with mental health teams for over twenty years. He has also been involved in policy, research and teaching about mental health services and particularly cognitive therapy, latterly, as Professor at the University of Southampton. He has published many papers, chapters and three books, including Cognitive Therapy of Schizophrenia. Marie Finn is an approved mental health social worker in Hampshire who has also worked extensively in the voluntary sector.

Introduction. What is a crisis? Engaging and assessing the client. Crisis planning. Risk assessment and management. Emotional difficulties. Behavioural problems. Troublesome thoughts. Physical symptoms. Service teams and settings. Preventing crises