**REPORT MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCIES TO A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL ASAP**
A mental health emergency is a situation that has the potential to result in risk of danger to the student-athlete or someone else, or results in a significant disruption to life, mood, or mental health status that warrants immediate intervention by a mental health professional. Mental health emergencies may include sexual assault, suicidal thinking/actions, homicidal thinking/actions, bizarre behavior, sudden mood changes, traumatic situations, grief and loss, sudden distressing events and/or family situations, threatening behavior, paranoia, psychosis, and acute intoxication/drug overdose.
In the event of an emergency, contact your athletic trainer. If you need mental health attention, you are not required to give details about the situation, instead tell your athletic trainer that you need to speak with a mental health clinician. Your athletic trainer will make sure the clinician gets in contact with you. If you need medical or mental health help and your athletic trainer is not available, you may go to the University Health Center, go to the Athens Regional Emergency Department (ED), or call 911.
If you are not comfortable contacting your athletic trainer, due to the nature of the situation, you can always contact UGA CAPS, or UGA PD.
A mental health emergency may happen to you or someone you are close to, whether a friend, teammate, or someone you hardly know. You will likely be in a situation in which you need to help.
Remember these steps
- Never leave the athlete alone. The athlete needs to feel that someone cares – it gives you a chance to observe and gather information.
- Get the athlete in a one-on-one situation, in a private place away from others. The athlete will feel more comfortable talking in private, may share more, and be more open to help.
- Let them talk and make sure to listen. There is no need to problem solve at this point. Gather information about what is going on in that moment.
- Ask the difficult questions. You may need to ask “Have you been having thoughts of killing yourself?” “Has someone hurt you?”
- Use your resources – get in contact with a mental health professional.
RESOURCES
When calling 911: provide to the emergency operator your name, address, telephone number, number of individuals in distress, condition of the individual in distress, any treatment thus far, specific direction to the location, and other information as requested.
- Athens Regional Medical Center
- 706-475-7000
- 1199 Prince Avenue (Emergency Room open 24/7)
- Dee Burke: 706-254-6527
- UGA Campus Police (UGA PD)
- 706-542-2200
- University Health Center (UHC)
- 706-542-1162
- UHC Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS)
- M-F 8am – 5pm
- 706-542-2273
- UHC Sports Medicine Clinic (Red Team)
- M-F 8am – 5pm
- 706-542-8636
