Be Well, Think Well: Emergency Room for Mental Health Social Stories

Overview

This series of social stories provides visual guides on what it is like to go to the ER or an inpatient psychiatric mental hospital for a mental health crisis. The social stories are also available in short, animated videos.

A man sitting in a chair with his hands on his head.

Sometimes I may feel very sad, or angry or anxious.

I may not want to get out of bed or go to school or work.

A man sitting in a chair with his head in his hands.

I may have thoughts about hurting myself or someone else.

A man sitting in a chair talking to a woman sitting with a laptop.

If I feel like this or have these thoughts for many days, I should tell a trusted adult like a therapist, parent, counselor, staff, teacher or friend.

They can help me get help for my thoughts and feelings.

A cartoon rendering of an emergency department.

If my thoughts and feelings get worse, I may need to go to the Emergency Department for help.

Page 1 of 6

When I get to the emergency room I will need to check in at the desk.

A nurse will ask questions to see what kind of help I need.

The nurse will take my temperature and blood pressure.

I may need to wait in the waiting room.

There may be many people in the waiting room with lots of noises.

If there are too many people or too much noise I can ask for a quiet place to go.

A cartoon rendering of a bed and a chair.

I may go into a room that just has a bed and a chair in it.

They may lock the door to the room to help me stay safe.

My family, staff or a trusted adult can stay with me in the room.

I will talk to different doctors and nurses about the thoughts and feelings I’m having.

The doctors and nurses may give me medicine to help me feel better and relax.

I may need to stay in the hospital for a few days to get more help.

Page 1 of 12

An arrow pointing from an emergency department to a building.

After being in the emergency room I may need to stay in the hospital or go to a different hospital to get more help.

This is called an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.

I may go to therapy sessions a few times a day to talk about my thoughts and feelings.

A cartoon rendering of a pill and medicine bottle.

Doctors may prescribe medication to help me feel better.

The hospital will have rules I need to follow. I may not be able to keep my phone or laptop with me.

A man standing in the center of the image.

After a few days or weeks when I am feeling better, I will be able to leave the hospital.