Do You Have a Crisis Plan?

I had been in recovery for over 16 years when I had this situation. Just when I thought I could juggle everything, life pulls the rug from underneath me. A mental health crisis always creates havoc and challenges not only my family, but also my employment.

Needing to take time off of work

When my depression hit, it came to stay and eventually opened the door to other symptoms and problems. I thought I was ahead of the turmoil when I asked my doctor for approval to temporarily take off work. I communicated my needs and submitted my doctor's note to my employer.

While at home, I created a strict self-care routine and met with my therapist more often than before. I was working on me.

Schizophrenia symptoms took hold

However, the brain disorder spiraled out of control and my home treatment program turned into an inpatient visit – the hospital. My sleep disturbances paved the way for sleepless nights and less energy, and more opportunity for my mental health condition to bring me down.

With psychosis on autopilot, I couldn't have known what to expect next.

Hospitalizations

This hospital stay was ordered by my doctor, but I was released within 72 hours and still symptomatic. I accepted my diagnosis and wanted help. Therefore, my family, friends, and I worked with my doctor.

I voluntarily went into another hospital and participated in my treatment. For weeks, I asked my doctor when I could go back home. When I finally went back home, my return came with a lot of bills, more stress, and disarray.

I learned I needed a crisis plan

Reflecting on the situation, my experience has better equipped me to maneuver the challenges of dealing with a crisis in the future. If you find yourself in a similar situation, and you and your doctor have made the shared decision that you need to stop working for a specified time, I encourage you to consider my tips.

Forbearance or financial assistance

I developed a better understanding of how to make financial contracts work for me when I'm not well. I could have requested temporary assistance to have some of my bills paid, such as credit cards and loans.

Generally, credit card packages come with some sort of payment protection for your financial obligations. Completing an application with the credit card company for you to enroll in a program to have some of your payments taken care of or reduced may be a possibility. This payment insurance or protection may apply to some loans. Also, the auto loan company could possibly work on an arrangement to have an extension, reduced payment installments, and the like.

Crisis plan with your support person(s)

Most of my family are out of state. Fortunately, my son, our home, and our dogs were taken care of by a close friend. I'm forever grateful for their assistance. The roles this friend played were many, and priceless.

Therefore, I encourage you to have a crisis plan. Know who can manage your finances, mail, home, childcare, and pet sitting in advance. I didn't have an effective plan in place before. But I'm lucky to have an effective, supportive family and network of loved ones.

Preparing for what may come with schizophrenia

Finally, if you're planning to take some time off of work to improve wellness, I hope you'll consider all of your financial benefit plans, programs, and resources available. Some of your credit cards and loans may be covered by insurance programs.

Consider delagating your obligations to those who are a part of your support system in advance. Mental health crisis will always come with the unexpected, but you can create your crisis plan in advance and then activate it when you need to go into treatment – with peace of mind.