Crisis - How to Help Yourself and Others in Distress Or Danger

Unlike books focusing on a single crisis topic, Crisis helps recognize common signs of endangerment across a range of life challenges by showing the interconnections between various harmful events. Through media coverage of school shootings, suicides, domestic abuse, workplace violence, and more, we've become accustomed to hearing about violence and trauma-almost invariably followed by reports that show all of the warning signs that were missed. While it is impossible to predict when, where, and with whom a crisis will occur, we do have the means to be better equipped to intervene in stressful situations before they tip over into a crisis. Important preventative information is readily available, and this book better prepares us to take appropriate responsive action. Often a crisis is the result of a critical life event; whether or not a life-changing event turns into a crisis depends on the type, timing, and interpretation of the event, the person's life cycle development phase, history of healthy coping, and available timely support. In sum, Lee Ann Hoff illustrates how to recognize crisis as both danger and opportunity. The more we know about how to spot a potential crisis and what to do, the more likely distressed persons will get the help they need.

List of contents

• PART I: People in Crisis: How do They Feel, Think, and Act, and How Can We Help?


• Chapter 1 - Life Crises: How to Avoid Danger and Grasp Opportunity


• Chapter 2 - Recognizing the Different Faces of Distress on the Road to Full-Blown Crisis


• Chapter 3 - What to Do: How to Cope and Avoid Disastrous Crisis Outcomes


• PART II: Life-Threatening Crises: Suicide, Abuse, and Violence toward Others


• Chapter 4 - A Cry for Help: Suicide and Other Self-Destructive Behaviors


• Chapter 5 - Victimization by Violence, Sexual Assault, and Emotional Abuse


• Chapter 6 - The Violent and Abusive Person: Preventing Violence is Everybody's Business


• PART III: Crises Arising from Unexpected Stressful Events and Life Cycle Passages


• Chapter 7 - Threats to Health Status from A Serious Illness or Accident


• Chapter 8 - Loss of Job, Home, and Financial Security


• Chapter 9 - Life Cycle Changes, Loss and Growth: From Birth to Death.

About the author

Lee Ann Hoff, PhD, is currently Adjunct Professor, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Health Sciences; Visiting Professor, ISPA (Institute for Applied Psychology), Lisbon, Portugal; author/lead researcher on Workplace Violence Prevention, a $750,000 NIOSH-funded online education course (August 2012)

Summary

Moving beyond books that address a single type of crisis (e.g. death of a child; diagnosis of a serious illness; sexual assault). Its focus is on helping the general reader and non-specialists recognize common signs of crisis across a range of life challenges. It shows how unexpected events, e.g. death of a loved one or diagnosis of a serious illness often intersect with life cycle transition points (i.e., adolescence, mid-life, old age) and can leave people more vulnerable to slipping into crisis-especially when lacking one's usual social supports. Through extensive use of stories, the book aims to help people identify and respond appropriately to the typical feelings and behaviors when facing traumatic events and life-threatening crisis. For example, some people in acute crisis express a fear of "going crazy " or have thoughts of suicide or violence toward others. Readers will learn that the high anxiety typical of crisis is normal, not usually a sign of mental illness. Whether or not critical life events result in crisis depends on the type, timing, and interpretation of the event, the person's life cycle development phase, history of healthy coping, and available timely support. In sum, the book's central theme is crisis as both danger and opportunity.

Additional text

I was much surprised at the level of complexity and depth of research it contains. This is an excellent book from primary care physicians, social workers, etc., who have to deal with persons in crisis. The recommendations are clear and sensible. This also could be very useful for psychiatrists in community mental health settings to help coordinate social intervention strategies for difficult patients... I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has to manage persons in crisis.

Product details

• Authors: Lee Ann Hoff, Lee Ann (Adjunct Professor Hoff
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 11.09.2014
• EAN: 9780199364169
• ISBN: 978-0-19-936416-9
• No. of pages: 344
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Education > Social education, social work; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political system