Action Planning
There are several things that you can do to maintain health and prepare for a time when things may not be
going well. Try to find a support person to do these with you. These aren't necessarily in any specific order, so
don't get upset if things don't match up. And, this isn't a map or test so you won't get lost or fail. These are
just a few suggestions:
Number One: Evaluation
Number Two: Medication
Number One: Education
Number Two:Observation
Some people find that it is helpful to keep a mood journal/chart to keep track of how things are going.
Number Three: Plan Ahead
There are a variety of plans that may be able to help identify what works. Most of them are things that aredone most of the time without thinking about them. However, there may be other things that could help that
aren't considered when things aren't going well. Having them written down helps when there is a lot going on
and/or it's hard to think. It also helps the people around you to know what they could be doing to help. Having
a plan in place helps your ability to continue to make decisions for yourself. Take a look at some examples listed
below to see if any may be right for you. (These can be helpful for anyone)
Note: WRAP-Wellness Recovery Action Plan and MAP-My Action Plan were both designed by Mary Ellen Copeland.
Number Four: Support
Find and talk to someone else who has been through something like you have. A peer can be extremely helpful when you need to talk about something that only someone who has been through it can understand. Peers can
also give you information about programs and other things they have tried that may help. Find out from your
local mental health centers about what support groups are in your area. There are even some places that have
"drop in" centers where people can hang out and spend time with each other. If you aren't comfortable about
going to meet with people in person, try an online group. There are several different kinds like chatting, e-
mailing, and discussion forums. Some groups even have full networking sites that are like MySpace or Facebook.
Number Five: Services and Resources
Learn about whether your area has any special programs. Make sure to check your city, county and state.
Some area's have services and supports that give extra help to people who need it. Some may offer individual
training, case management, respite for caregivers and more. Find out what programs may provide crisis
prevention or intervention and what their policies are.
Number Six: Rights and Laws
Know what the laws are in your state and what rights you have. Write them down and keep them in a place
that you will remember where to look if the time is ever needed. It may be helpful to put them in the same place
as your Action Plan. ;0) Think about whether you want to appoint and name a durable power of attorney
which is a person who could legally make decisions for you if you were not able to make them for yourself. If
you are not comfortable with doing it, at least try to find have someone to follow your care (if the need arises)
who you trust and would be willing to do it. Make sure to sign a Release of Information so your support can
speak with the therapist and others.
Number Seven: Emergency Folder
If there is a WRAP or MAP then...awesome! All of the following can easily be kept with it. If not, get some type
of folder to hold the items listed below so that it can easily be found when you need them. (Don't forget to
keep them up to date.)
Treatment Advocacy Center: Indiana is one of forty four states that allow court-ordered treatment in the
community, often called "assisted outpatient treatment" or "outpatient committment". Indiana is also among
half of the states whose treatment standard is based on a person's "need for treatment" and not just the
likelihood of being dangerous to self or others. The following summary can be helpful for a family member trying
to get court ordered treatment.
IND. CODE ANN. § 12-7-2-53 § 12-7-2-96 § 12-26-7-5(a) § 12-26-14-1 § 12-26-6-8-(a)
Inpatient: (1) danger to self/others; or in danger of coming to harm because either (2) unable to provide for
food, clothing, shelter, or other essential human needs OR (3) substantial impairment or obvious deterioration
that results in inability to function independently. Outpatient: Same as for inpatient except must also be likely
to benefit from the recommended outpatient treatment program and not be likely to meet inpatient standard if
compliant with the recommended program.
National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives (NRC-PAD) provides consumers with mental illness,
their family members, clinicians, and policy-makers with key information about PADs, including PAD forms, links
to statutes, educational webcasts, discussion forums, FAQs, and current research.
Miscellaneous:
going well. Try to find a support person to do these with you. These aren't necessarily in any specific order, so
don't get upset if things don't match up. And, this isn't a map or test so you won't get lost or fail. These are
just a few suggestions:
Number One: Evaluation
Number Two: Medication
Number One: Education
Number Two:Observation
Some people find that it is helpful to keep a mood journal/chart to keep track of how things are going.
 | Bright Futures-About My Feelings. | |
| DBSA Monthly Mood Chart | |
| Beam Monthly Mood Chart | |
| ManicDepressive Monthly Mood Chart Instructions Sample (poor quality?) | |
| Personal Daily Mood Chart-Hourly Reporting for all 24 Hours (.doc file) | |
| Sleep Diary. |
Number Three: Plan Ahead
There are a variety of plans that may be able to help identify what works. Most of them are things that are
aren't considered when things aren't going well. Having them written down helps when there is a lot going on
and/or it's hard to think. It also helps the people around you to know what they could be doing to help. Having
a plan in place helps your ability to continue to make decisions for yourself. Take a look at some examples listed
below to see if any may be right for you. (These can be helpful for anyone)
Note: WRAP-Wellness Recovery Action Plan and MAP-My Action Plan were both designed by Mary Ellen Copeland.
 | Depression Bipolar Support Alliance: Working Towards Wellness | |
| SAMHSA: Action Planning for Prevention and Recovery | |
| ManicDepressive: Information/Overview Treatment Contract |
| Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) - Introduction | |
| WRAP Video/Webinar with Mary Ellen Copeland WRAP Training Handouts | |
| Online WRAP from Mary Ellen Copeland ($) | |
| WRAP-Adults WRAP-Adult Example Crisis Plan | |
| WRAP with cover eWRAP | |
| My Action Plan (MAP)-Family of Adult MAP-Family Examples | |
| MAP-Youth MAP-Youth Examples Crisis Plan? | |
| MAP-Parent of Youth MAP-Parent Examples | |
| Personal created: WRAP (Word Doc; Space on bottom to draw, if desired) |
Number Four: Support
Find and talk to someone else who has been through something like you have. A peer can be extremely helpful
also give you information about programs and other things they have tried that may help. Find out from your
local mental health centers about what support groups are in your area. There are even some places that have
"drop in" centers where people can hang out and spend time with each other. If you aren't comfortable about
going to meet with people in person, try an online group. There are several different kinds like chatting, e-
mailing, and discussion forums. Some groups even have full networking sites that are like MySpace or Facebook.
Number Five: Services and Resources
Learn about whether your area has any special programs. Make sure to check your city, county and state.
Some area's have services and supports that give extra help to people who need it. Some may offer individual
training, case management, respite for caregivers and more. Find out what programs may provide crisis
prevention or intervention and what their policies are.
Number Six: Rights and Laws
Know what the laws are in your state and what rights you have. Write them down and keep them in a place
that you will remember where to look if the time is ever needed. It may be helpful to put them in the same place
as your Action Plan. ;0) Think about whether you want to appoint and name a durable power of attorney
which is a person who could legally make decisions for you if you were not able to make them for yourself. If
you are not comfortable with doing it, at least try to find have someone to follow your care (if the need arises)
who you trust and would be willing to do it. Make sure to sign a Release of Information so your support can
speak with the therapist and others.
Number Seven: Emergency Folder
If there is a WRAP or MAP then...awesome! All of the following can easily be kept with it. If not, get some type
of folder to hold the items listed below so that it can easily be found when you need them. (Don't forget to
keep them up to date.)
- Write an Emergency Contact list of people who should be called. Make sure to include their name,
address, relationship, all phone numbers, work information and anything else that may be important. Also
write down if there is a release of information for them. People to think about including would be:
- Family Members
- Friends
- Mental Health Team-Such as: Therapist, Social Worker, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Case Manager
- Employer, School or Church-if applicable
- List people that you DO NOT want notified.
- Medications
- Current medication: Write down the name, strength (mg?), how many you take, how often you take
it, what you take it for, who prescribed it (Doctor) and where you get it (Pharmacy). - Previous medications that have been tried and why they were stopped
- Any allergies or negative reactions to medications
- Never forget to include herbal supplements and vitamins because some of them can affect the
medication.
- Brief medical/mental history
- Current diagnosis
- Previous diagnoses
- Previous hospitalizations
- Copy of your insurance information
- Durable Power of Attorney, if done
- Release of Information Forms for your support person.
Treatment Advocacy Center: Indiana is one of forty four states that allow court-ordered treatment in the
community, often called "assisted outpatient treatment" or "outpatient committment". Indiana is also among
half of the states whose treatment standard is based on a person's "need for treatment" and not just the
likelihood of being dangerous to self or others. The following summary can be helpful for a family member trying
to get court ordered treatment.
IND. CODE ANN. § 12-7-2-53 § 12-7-2-96 § 12-26-7-5(a) § 12-26-14-1 § 12-26-6-8-(a)
Inpatient: (1) danger to self/others; or in danger of coming to harm because either (2) unable to provide for
food, clothing, shelter, or other essential human needs OR (3) substantial impairment or obvious deterioration
that results in inability to function independently. Outpatient: Same as for inpatient except must also be likely
to benefit from the recommended outpatient treatment program and not be likely to meet inpatient standard if
compliant with the recommended program.
National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives (NRC-PAD) provides consumers with mental illness,
their family members, clinicians, and policy-makers with key information about PADs, including PAD forms, links
to statutes, educational webcasts, discussion forums, FAQs, and current research.
Miscellaneous:
- Bazelon: Power in Planning-Self Determination through Psychiatric Advance Directives.
- Psychiatric/Mental Health Advance Directives Example.
- hold
Make sure that you are comfortable with the person that you are seeing for therapy
and/or medications. There aren't blood tests, brain scans or anything like that (yet)
to be able to tell what mental health conditions a person has. You need to make sure
that you trust the ability of the person who is telling you that you have whatever
disorder it is. If you aren't sure or disagree, ask for a second opinion.
and/or medications. There aren't blood tests, brain scans or anything like that (yet)
to be able to tell what mental health conditions a person has. You need to make sure
that you trust the ability of the person who is telling you that you have whatever
disorder it is. If you aren't sure or disagree, ask for a second opinion.
Whether or not to take medication is probably one of the hardest things to talk to
someone about. People may think that they don't "need" medicine and won't take it.
A doctor can say that you have high blood pressure and need to take X medicine to
control it. People generally will take it and never think twice about it. Or, they take
the medicine, it helps them and they go off of it. All of a sudden, the symptoms
come back and pretty soon they take the medicine again and a cycle starts. However,
sometimes when people do that, their body gets used to it and the medicine doesn't
work as well anymore. Don't trust a doctor to meet your medical needs if you aren't
willing to trust one with your mental ones.
someone about. People may think that they don't "need" medicine and won't take it.
A doctor can say that you have high blood pressure and need to take X medicine to
control it. People generally will take it and never think twice about it. Or, they take
the medicine, it helps them and they go off of it. All of a sudden, the symptoms
come back and pretty soon they take the medicine again and a cycle starts. However,
sometimes when people do that, their body gets used to it and the medicine doesn't
work as well anymore. Don't trust a doctor to meet your medical needs if you aren't
willing to trust one with your mental ones.
Educate yourself about the diagnosis. Learn what to expect and what symptoms
would be most concerning. Examples could include: A person with Bipolar diagnosis
becoming very energetic, not sleeping and/or starting extra projects. For a person
with depression, it may be sleeping or crying a lot without a specific reason (like a
bad event). Someone with anxiety disorder may start avoiding public places or
situations.
would be most concerning. Examples could include: A person with Bipolar diagnosis
becoming very energetic, not sleeping and/or starting extra projects. For a person
with depression, it may be sleeping or crying a lot without a specific reason (like a
bad event). Someone with anxiety disorder may start avoiding public places or
situations.
Be familiar with yourself and find out your signs. Try to think of some things that
you might do that can help other people to know that you are having trouble when
or if you aren't able to tell them. It may be that you suddenly stop taking phone
calls, miss work or forget appointments. If you are a loved one...sit down with and
work together to find out how you may be able to tell. Also be watchful/observant of
new behaviors or symptoms. There could be a sudden change such as hyperactivity
or odd behavior from that may show there is something wrong.
you might do that can help other people to know that you are having trouble when
or if you aren't able to tell them. It may be that you suddenly stop taking phone
calls, miss work or forget appointments. If you are a loved one...sit down with and
work together to find out how you may be able to tell. Also be watchful/observant of
new behaviors or symptoms. There could be a sudden change such as hyperactivity
or odd behavior from that may show there is something wrong.
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