What to do in a Crisis Situation

If you have a crisis situation where a person is a danger to him or herself, you can call the DeKalb CSB Central Access Line at 404-892-4646 for help and advice. In a true emergency, the Mobile Crisis with its patrol car can go to your home 7 days a week from 1:30 to 9:30pm. Psychiatric nurses take turns to go with DeKalb police to answer calls from 911 or the Central Access Line. Families receive guidance and are given an approximate arrival time. The nurse will make a psychiatric assessment on site and decide if hospitalization is necessary. Consumers cannot be hospitalized against their will unless the family has a lay affidavit (called 10-13 in police jargon). To get one of these “orders”, you have to go to the office of the Probate Court at the County Courthouse in Decatur. You and a witness must testify that you have seen the consumer in the last 48 hours and that he/she is a threat to himself or others. The order is good for 7 days.

A Community Support Team, or ACT Team, follows patients after discharge to make sure they meet their appointments at the various Mental Health Centers.

The Crisis Center is a 42-bed facility that operates like an “ER” for mentally ill with police steadily bringing in new cases. The 23 Hour Unit is staffed to assess the consumer in crisis and to determine the appropriate level of care. The consumer may be voluntarily or involuntarily admitted to the Crisis Stabilization Unit or sent to a hospital dependent upon availability and payer source for the hospital.