Naturalistic study of crisis referrals to an Irish community adult mental health service.

There is no agreed definition of a mental health crisis; however, a useful one is 'a situation where mental health has deteriorated to an extent that the user is likely to be at risk of harm to self or others and is in need of urgent intensive specialist support and treatment' (Minghella , 1998). Community-based care is the primary model of specialist mental healthcare in Ireland (Government of Ireland, 2006). When clinically indicated, a patient with mental health crisis is referred to the community mental health team (CMHT) for an urgent assessment.