CRISIS INTERVENTION (Mrs.

Jeena Jose) NS

INTRODUTION

Any stressful event or hazardous situation has the potential for precipitating a crisis. The
event or situation that comes at the end of the series of stressors may be minor making the
situation more than the individual can handle.

CRISIS

A crisis (derived from the “krisis” which means critical) is any event that is, or is expected to
lead to, an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community, or
whole society.The dictionary meaning of crisis is a crucial or decisive point or situation; a
turning point.

DEFINITION

According to the Taylor 1982 “Crisis is a state of disequilibrium resulting from the
interaction of an event with the individual’s or family’s coping mechanisms , which are
inadequate to meet the demands of the situation combined with the individual’s or family’s
perception of the meaning of the event.

CHARACTERSTICS OF CRISIS

 It occurs in all individuals, sometime or other and is not equal to psychopathology.

 It is precipitated by specific identifiable events.
 Crises are personal in nature. What may be crisis for one individual, may not be so for
another.
 Crises are acute, not chronic, will be resolved in one way or another within a brief
period.

FOUR PHASES OF CRISIS

I. In the first phase the anxiety activates the person’s usual methods of coping. If these do not
bring relief and there is inadequate support, the person moves to the second phase.

II. There is more anxiety because coping mechanisms have failed.

III. New coping mechanisms are tried, or the threat is redefined so that old ones can work.
Resolution of the problem can occur in this phase. However, if resolution does not occur, the
person goes to the 4th phase.

IV. Continuation of severe or panic levels of anxiety may lead to psychological

disorganization.

TYPES OF CRISIS:

There are three types of crisis

(1) Maturational or developmental crisis

(2) Situational crisis

(3) Adventitious crisis

1. Maturational/ Developmental crisis: When a person arrives at a new stage, formerly

used coping mechanisms are no longer appropriate. Each developmental stage can be referred
to as maturational crisis.

2. Situational crisis: A situational crisis arises from an external rather than an internal
source. E.g., loss of a job, death of a loved one, abortion, a change of job, change of financial
status, divorce, the addition of a new family members, pregnancy and severe physical illness.

3. Adventitious Crisis: Is a crisis of disaster, is not a part of everyday life, is unplanned and
accidental. E.g., a natural disaster, a national disaster, a crime of violence.

CRISIS INTERVENTION:

Crisis intervention refers to the methods used to offer immediate, short term help to
individual who experience an event that produces emotional, mental, physical and behavioral
distress or problems. A crisis can refer to any situation in which individual perceives a
sudden loss of his or her ability to use effective problem solving and coping skills.

GOALS

1.To decrease emotional stress and protect the crisis victim from additional stress.

2. To assist the victim in organizing and mobilizing resources or support system to meet
unique needs and reach a solution for the particular situation that precipitated the crisis.
PRINCIPLES:

 Be specific, use concise statements, and avoid overwhelming the patient with
irrelevant questions or excessive detail.
 Allow sufficient time for the individuals involved to process information and ask
questions.
 Listen for facts and feelings, seeking clarification, paraphrasing and reflection are
effective strategies.
 A calm, controlled presence reassures the person that the nurse can help.
 Encourage the expression of feelings.

TECNIQUES OF CRISIS INTERVENTION:

1. CLARIFICATION: Encouraging the patient to express more clearly the relationship

between certain events.
2. CATHARSIS: The release of feelings that takes place as the patient talks about
emotionally charged areas.
3. SUGGESTION: Influencing a person to accept an idea or belief, particularly the
belief that the nurse can help, and that person will in time feel better.
4. REINFORCEMENT OF BEHAVIOUR: Giving the patient positive response to
adaptive behavior.
5. SUPPORT OF DEFENCES: Encouraging the use of healthy, adaptive defenses and
discouraging those that are unhealthy or maladaptive.
6. EXPLORATION OF SOLUTION: Examining alternative ways of solving the
immediate problem.
7. RISING SELF ESTEEM: Helping the patient regain feelings of self -worth e.g.; -
you are very strong person to be able to manage the family all the time.

ROLE OF NURSE IN CRISIS INTERVENTION

Nurses respond to crisis situations daily. Knowledge of crisis intervention techniques is

thus an important clinical skill of all nurses, regardless of the setting or practice specialty.

Nursing assessment

At this time, data about the nature of the crisis or disaster and its effects on the patient
must be collected. From this data an interventional plan will be developed.
 Nursing diagnoses

After the assessment, there comes a part of nursing diagnoses, where the nurses need to
frame the certain diagnosis as per the patient’s complain and his/her objective
observation. It should focus on goals to be achieved and the area of lacking.

Planning

The further to diagnoses is planning, it compromises of the things which must be taken
care to overcome the lacking and to develop suitable abilities to deal with crisis.

Implementation

The implementation includes the execution of planned interventions in hierarchical order

with the objective of goal attainment.

CONCLUSION:

The priority of crisis intervention and counseling is to increase stabilization. Crisis

interventions occur at the spur of the moment and in a variety of settings, as trauma can arise
instantaneously. Crises are temporary, usually with short span, no longer than a month,
although the effects may become long-lasting.