Critical Incident, Traumatic Stress, & Crisis

CRITICAL INCIDENT, TRAUMATIC STRESS, & CRISIS:
A Critical Incident or Traumatic Stress is an event which serves as a perceived or actual threat/challenge to a person’s well-being.

A crisis results when that critical incident/traumatic stress overwhelms a person’s coping mechanisms, resulting in:
1. disruption of psychological balance
2. usual coping mechanisms/abilities fail to re-establish that balance
3. the distress yields some signs of functional impairment
[International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 2000, 2(2), 119-125]

A crisis is a traumatic event that seriously disrupts our coping and problem-solving skills. Crises are unpredictable, volatile, and may even threaten your safety and survival.