Alternative crisis info

Cushion with text painted on it that says "please be with me"

Is it feeling really hard to survive just now? I’ve written this page for you.

As a psychiatric survivor myself, I’m committed to non-carceral crisis responses. That’s why I don’t just list crisis line phone numbers here in an uncritical way, like most websites. I know that for many of us, it’s unhelpful, and even dangerous, to access services where there’s a risk of force. I’m trying to offer something better here.

Below you’ll find info about how to make an informed choice about accessing support, how to keep yourself safe from unwanted interventions, alternative supports, crisis ideas, harm reduction and links to read more.

Genuine crisis responses must have a commitment to self-determination

Rubber cushion with a round bandage, with the word 'no' stitched into the gauze.

Many of us who self-injure are already survivors of abuse, violence or hate where our consent was violated. When we said ‘no‘, they didn’t listen.

Despite knowing this, most mental health services can, and often do, violate our consent, by using cops, security guards and forced hospitalisation if they think it’s in ‘our best interests’. In this way, they violate our bodies and right to individual self-determination. They recreate past experiences of trauma and injustice, and cause entirely new traumas. Then they gaslight us by calling it ‘care’ and ‘safety’.

Carceral responses are not safe or compassionate. So when I offer ideas about what to do in a crisis, I am committed to non-carceral ways of working, guided first and foremost by thinking about our rights, will and preferences. Your consent matters.

“…psychiatric institutions are, in fact, part of the carceral state. This means that they are part of the many systems that function to: contain people, take away their locus of control, offer surveillance, isolate them from their communities, and limit their freedom.”
Stefanie Kaufman-Mthimkhulu

Make an informed decision about whether or not to call a crisis line

Click on each of the 4 tabs below for pros and cons about crisis services, as well as tips and alternatives to keep yourself safe from unwanted force. There is no right or wrong choice here, it’s about what feels most helpful and safe to you. 

Feeling like self-injuring? Have you considered harm reduction approaches?

Most mental health and crisis services will tell you to stop self-injuring. But like substance use or other survival strategies, this is not always helpful advice. Sometimes self-injury keeps us alive, despite the risks. 

Harm reduction (or harm minimisation) is a non-violent, rights-based way to think about self-injury. The idea is this: if we want/need to use self-injury, there are ways to reduce the amount of harm to ourselves. In the harm reduction paradigm we can also conceptualise harm in different ways to the mental health system, who seem to lack the kind of nuance we have from our lived experience. So we might recognise that any injury is harm, but it still might be less harmful than what we’re feeling, or less harmful than suicide. Or we might injure in bodily sites or ways that have less physical risk.

Harm reduction is a strategy I draw on in my own life and it’s been helpful to know how to self-injure in ways that mean I don’t need medical intervention (and all the risks that come with that). Sometimes I dream of a harm-reduction free clinic for self-injury, a bit like safe injecting rooms, where we can get wound care, clean equipment and support without the risk of violence that comes in the mainstream health system.

Want to learn more about harm reduction?

Crisis Toolkit

A good first place to visit might be the Fireweed Collective’s Crisis Toolkit. 

It’s developed by other survivors and includes info on navigating crisis, suicide and options for support. 

I'm feeling really horrible and I don't wanna call crisis lines... what else can I do?

I don’t have the answers to what might feel helpful for you, but here are some ideas from my own life and my peer support practice. Over time I’ll be adding lots more links to this section of other non-carceral, non-pathologising sites that are valued by survivors. 

Consider talking with someone you really trust. Often the most helpful strategy during distress is to seek out connection and to feel heard by another human. Is there someone who has felt like they really hear you before? 
Another option is to sit with your feelings a while longer. What do you feel in your emotions & your body? If you're thinking about stuff that's usually kept secret, it can feel weird to see the lid lifted. Perhaps there is a message you need to hear inside the pain, if you can give it time to speak to you.
You might choose to sit or walk or create with your feelings for a while, journal, or listen to music that feels like it gets you.
Sometimes big feelings need us to enter a dialogue with them, to hear them more clearly. Is this something you'd like to try? We can do this in writing, or in our minds, or talking out loud.
Do you have access to animals? Sometimes four-legged and winged friends can offer a more authentic form of listening, touch and connection than humans. Could you visit a friend with pets, pop into a shelter, or even sit quietly in a park that has lots of life in it?
Almost everyone in the mental health system tells us that we're disordered & ill. But just because you feel pain, it doesn't mean the problem is you. What has happened in your life that led to this? I often find that awakening my inner activist brings me a sense of power. Is there a small (or big) way to speak out, or something you could do to make the world feel even a little more just?
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Have you heard about pod mapping?

If you’re in crisis right now, it may not be the right time. But setting up your own pods can be a great way to prepare some support for yourself in advance of the next crisis. You might end up joining other people’s pods too.

Mia Mingus developed the idea of pod maps as part of her transformative justice work.

It’s one of those beautifully simple ideas that just makes sense. To work out who we can call on for different kinds of support, to put time into growing our pods around us. Read Mia’s original post about pods, and here’s a more recent post with extra ideas.

Mad social justice stuff to read

If you’re up for it, sometimes reading things that bring a sense of solidarity and connection can be really powerful when we’re in distress. Here are a few options to try:

 

Want to read a bit more about carceral psychiatry and anticarceral crisis responses?

 

There are more readings & links to come in this section. Do you have ideas? I’d love to hear them, email me here.

Principles for ethical info about crisis

Have you come across a page like this before, that challenges typical practices of giving out crisis line numbers? If not, you might want to know more about why this page exists, and what you can do differently in your own practice. Scroll through the slides below.

Don't be complicit with violence
Calling crisis lines is not helpful for everyone. For some it's downright dangerous, leading to police violence or psychiatric incarceration. For folks who've been betrayed or hurt by those services, seeing them listed uncritically can feel like no-one is listening. Don't give out crisis numbers without also giving enough info for people to make an informed choice (like the info in the section above).
Don't be performative
We know the crisis line numbers. And if not, they're easy to find (just type 'suicide' into Google). Please don't tell yourself you are doing something helpful by just listing phone numbers. Offer more. Offer alternatives, critical info, solidarity. If you're not sure what to offer, talk to survivors.
Don't presume vulnerability
Sure, reading about big topics might bring up big feelings, but that's not automatically bad. We might feel all kinds of things, like hope, empowerment, connection, distress, curiosity or justifiable outrage. Feelings aren't good or bad, they bring us important knowledge to learn from. What's more, people have diverse responses to emotions and most of us survivors are a lot stronger than you think (or we wouldn't still be here).
Provide alternatives to violent systems
Even if we're distressed, it doesn't mean we need to contact services. Most of us already have survival skills and/or support people.  Instead of just listing a crisis number, we can offer helpful ideas & links to places outside the carceral state where folks can find non-violent, non-pathologising support. You might even link to this page.
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