In the previous Blog entry, I discussed the "pre-admission screening" that occurs prior to psychiatric hospital admission. This is only one function of emergency services...the other is general crisis intervention.
In this day and age, the incidence of mental health issues seems to be increasing. People are struggling in all areas of their life, putting more of a burden on families, causing depression to become more prominent. That said, it is important that the public mental health system continue doing a better job educating the entire community about the accessibility of crisis intervention.
Throughout Michigan, the public mental health system is required to provide emergency mental health services to the general public. It's one service not dependent on certain criteria, i.e. income, residency, insurance, diagnosis, etc. It's there to ensure that the mental health needs, in time of crisis, are met and people are supported.
No matter where people may be residing, visiting, or vacationing, the local community mental health should be able to provide crisis intervention, provided by licensed social workers, counselors and psychologists. During business hours it's always available face-to-face, as well as telephone. After regular hours, each community mental health has local protocols for delivering this service. In Shiawassee County, mental health workers answer crisis calls after 5 p.m., weekends and holidays.
People that are suffering from mental health symptoms or situational crisis, and require support and assistance, are encouraged to contact our agency day or night. If the problem is serious and you may require psychiatric hospital admission, either contact our agency immediately or go to the local emergency room.
Emergency mental health staff can be reached at 989-723-0710 or 723-6791.
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