When a family member is in crisis, be it physical or mental, they need good advocates, especially when they are indisposed or disordered. Here are some key ideas about how to advocate in a crisis:

Ask the patient who they’d like as an advocate, if possible. If you take on the advocate role, be prepared to commit to this for as long as it’s needed or feasible. Depending on the circumstances, this could be a long term role.

Be the voice of the patient. Listen to what they want, gain understanding of their reasoning or perspective, and be able to communicate their philosophy or decisions as needed.

Be a good communicator. You need to bridge the gap between patient and medical professional. You may need to translate complicated terms into simple ideas for the patient to understand. You need to communicate the patient’s wishes to the medical professionals, when they aren’t able to.

Be assertive. A good advocate pushes to be heard, get results, find answers, or communicate their needs.

Be open. Make the patient feel safe and trusted.  This means that you don’t judge. You are fully honest, transparent, and provide full disclosure. You allow the patient to make decisions and get treated as they want. You use love not anger to communicate.

Avoid driving your own agenda. You are representing someone else, so you need to act as a conduit and avoid thinking about what you want.

Question everything.  You need to gain a  full understanding and clarity about the situation. Be sure you fully understand the medical side of things to help communicate to the patient or make the best decisions for them if they aren’t able. Challenge the medical staff on diagnosis and treatment plans. Most of all, don’t assume that a medical professional knows more than the patient or you, about what is good for them.

Be persistent and determined. When a person is ill, you want to be sure that they get the best treatment available. Mental health issues aren’t diagnosed until all the possible physical causes are exhausted. The treatment paths are entirely separate, so you need to be sure that your loved one is on the proper path for their ailment.

Maintain confidentiality.  People in crisis have the right to keep their medical issues private. If you can’t do that, then don’t be an advocate.

With a mental health disorder some patients can be alert and rationale, others are incapacitated and incoherent. As an advocate, you need to understand what your loved one would want if they were alert. This is not about you. This is about them.

Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash

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