Citation

Sutherby K, Szmukler GI, Halpern A, Alexander M, Thornicroft G, Johnson C, Wright S. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 1999; 100(1): 56-61.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1600-0447.1999.tb10914.x

PMID

10442440

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: 'Crisis cards' state patients' treatment details and preferences in anticipation of a later occasion when the patient might be too ill to express them directly. We assessed the feasibility of introducing 'crisis cards', or a collaborative form of them, 'joint crisis plans', into a sectorized community psychiatric service.
METHOD: All patients with a psychosis and at high risk of crisis were invited to participate. Follow-up examined patients' satisfaction and how the cards were used.
RESULTS: In total, 106 eligible patients were identified and offered a card, and 40% agreed to participate. Patients with an affective psychosis, past suicide attempts and less frequent admissions were over-represented among those who agreed to take part. Patients chose to include a wide range of information. For participants, admissions fell by 30% in the follow-up year.
CONCLUSION: Crisis cards serve both a 'manifest', practical function (to provide important information when the patient is too ill to do so) and a 'latent' psychological one (positive effects on the patient's attitude to self, their illness and treatment, and their relationship with the clinical team).

Language: en

Keywords

Adult; Community Mental Health Services; Community Psychiatry; Cooperative Behavior; Crisis Intervention; Feasibility Studies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health Planning; Humans; Male; Mental Disorders; United Kingdom