Acute crisis

What to do if

How can UHK help me if I am not yet in crisis, but I am feeling unwell?

It is possible to use free consultations with the therapist within the Psychological and therapeutic support centre at the UHK.  

How do I know that my anxious reactions are excessive?

Focus on the following signs and their frequency in your usual daily routine.  

Among the basic symptoms (signs) of anxiety are: headache, muscular tension, sweating, unrest, discomfort, tremor, dyspnoea or excessive and accelerated breathing, heart beating and accelerated pulse, irritability, anger, necessity of going to the toilet more often, sickness, dizziness, confusion and feeling depersonalization of oneself or the world, feeling as if I was unreal "in a movie", avoidance behaviour, desire of escape from situations, excessive thinking about situations that have occurred or will occur.   

What is the first experience with crisis like?

Helping oneself is an important part of coping with an emergency situation, because it is based on personal experience and thus is tailor made for us. What can be a good coping strategy for one person, may not work for another person and vice versa. (Patraj-se, 2023) However, every person can experience this acute condition differently. Somebody avoids contact with other people, feels ashamed because of their condition and struggles with extreme feelings and insufficient ability to participate in everyday activities same as in the past. The differences of such acute states have different reasons not only individually but also across age categories. Self-harm and suicide rates are extreme examples of such a crisis. We all can learn to recognize the signs of worsening mental health and basic gestures, that can help ourselves, our family, or friends, to better cope with the situation, if necessary. (Opatruj-se, 2023) 

What to do if you are a witness to an emergency?

f you are a witness of an emergency, extraordinary situation, or risky behaviour, when the person´s life is endangered or the person endangers other people, always call for help through emergency services.  

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What can an acute crisis be like?

Everybody reacts in a different way when in crisis. Somebody may cry or feel regret or anger, rage, frustration. Somebody may think about ending their life, another person may not be able to think at all. An acute crisis may be accompanied by shock and denial. You may stop feeling yourself and fully experience the world around you. You may perceive as if you were behind the glass and feel that things outside are happening without you or beyond you.  

I am in crisis, what should I do?

Anybody can be in crisis. A crisis is even a natural part of our life. You are probably wondering what to do if you are experiencing an acute crisis.

Does the UHK provide crisis intervention?

The direct crisis intervention is not available at the UHK nonstop.  

It is a specialized psychosocial help for people in crisis. The service must have some boundaries though and it is provided by the crisis intervention specialist who had been trained in complex crisis intervention. That is why it is appropriate to be equipped with other crisis contacts that you can forward afterwards. However, two of our therapists and crisis intervention specialists provide emergency hours at the UHK every week. Nevertheless, the UHK does not guarantee nonstop services of crisis intervention 24/7. The UHK therapist Adam Lebeda has undergone a complex training in crisis intervention and SUR – a complex training in psychotherapy. He offers psychological counselling within family and partner relationships, problems with addictive behaviour, in emergency situations, coping with aggression, motivation problems, sense of life, self-esteem. The psychologist Damián Kastner has undergone a complex training in crisis intervention, and he is ready to help in crisis and extraordinary situations. He offers psychological counselling, support, and crisis intervention, for example with topics like stress, fear and anxiety, problems in partner and family relationships, demanding life situations, study problems etc. To get more information, click on the link of the reservation system and the chosen worker.  

What is an acute crisis?

An acute crisis is a stressful situation that is so severe and extraordinary that it is not possible to cope with it without help. It can be a strong reaction to internal or external conditions of the person in question. The person may experience loss, mental or physical problems, distressing social economic circumstances, difficult period of time or responds to a certain current social situation.