As you continue toward stability, there may be times when you need to call your psychiatrist to set up an extra appointment or even page your psychiatrist for an emergency, but how do you know when?
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 10 minutes to read
Here's How:
- Familiarized yourself with the toxicity and overdose symptoms of any medications you are taking. If any of these symptoms develop, call your psychiatrist immediately.
- If medication side effects become intolerable or interfere with your everyday activities, set an appointment with your doctor.
- Call your doctor as soon as possible if you are struggling with paranoia - the feeling that people are watching you or something/someone is out to get you.
- If you experience any visual or auditory hallucinations (seeing or hearing things others do not), contact your psychiatrist immediately.
- Call for an appointment if you begin to experience suicidal ideation - beginning to think that killing yourself might be a solution.
- You should page your doctor immediately if you are feeling suicidal - if you have decided that you cannot take another minute of all of this and you are going to end your life.
- If you are feeling pressure to inflict self-injury such as cutting or burning your skin, contact your psychiatrist as soon as possible.
- Phone your doctor immediately if you have deliberately injured yourself or, if the injury requires emergency attention, call 911.
- If you are feeling aggressive and angry for no real reason with other people, set up an appointment to share these feelings with your doctor.
- Call your psychiatrist immediately if you feel as if you just might explode all over someone or if you feel as if you are going to hurt another person.
- Maintain a mood chart; notify your doctor of any upward or downward trends that persist.
- 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.
Tips:
- Most psychiatrists have preferences regarding when to set up an appointment, when to have them emergency paged, or when to go directly to an emergency room. Discuss these policies with your doctor.
- If a friend or a loved one has bipolar disorder, together 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.
