Symptoms and Situations That Warrant a Call to Your Psychiatrist or ER Visit
Let’s explore the symptoms and situations that may warrant either calling your psychiatrist or a trip to the emergency room and how to also help loved ones in this situation.
Medications
Familiarize yourself with the toxicity and overdose symptoms of any medications you are taking. If any of these symptoms develop, call your psychiatrist immediately. In addition, if medication side effects become intolerable or interfere with your everyday activities, contact your psychiatrist right away.
Psychiatric Symptoms
For those with bipolar disorder, it’s important to see your psychiatrist right away if you are experiencing an acute bipolar episode, whether that’s manic, depressive, or an episode with mixed features. Other urgent situations, according to a 2008 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry include:
SuicidalityAggressionLegal difficultiesFunctional disabilityWork dysfunction and problemsMarriage problems
Of course, this list is not inconclusive of everything. If you develop any new, worrisome symptoms or personal concerns, please contact your psychiatrist.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
If you are thinking of suicide or self-harm, seek immediate medical attention.
Establish a Plan With Your Psychiatrist
Most psychiatrists have preferences regarding when to set up an appointment, when to have them emergently paged, or when to go directly to an emergency room. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Discuss these policies with your doctor at your first appointment.
Know Yourself
Get to know your warning signs—your personal red flags for an impending mood swing. Request a meeting with your psychiatrist as soon as possible if any develop.
How to Recognize Emergent Psychiatric Symptoms in Loved Ones
If a friend or a loved one has bipolar disorder, together you can outline a plan now about how to handle emergency and crisis situations. While the psychiatrist of a friend or loved one cannot disclose information to you, you most certainly can contact the psychiatrist to express concern and seek advice for handling a difficult situation. If you suspect your loved one has any sort of mental health issue, please try to intervene and help them. According to the American Psychological Association, these are the signs of an “emotional crisis”:
Neglecting person hygiene (e.g. not showering)Sleeping way less or more than usualSignificant weight gain or lossDecline in performance at work or at schoolSignificant change in mood, like feeling more irritable, angry, anxious, or sadWithdrawing from usual activities or tasks and relationships
Other worrisome symptoms include paranoia or if your loved one is experiencing visual or auditory hallucinations—seeing or hearing things others do not. This list is not inclusive, though, so follow your gut if you are concerned a loved one is in need of psychiatric help. If your loved one needs help finding a mental health professional, it’s a good idea to persuade your loved one to talk with her primary care physician. Likewise, a person’s workplace may be helpful if they have an employee assistance program, called EAP.
