This article presents an extension of Ball’s midrange theory of crisis for
individuals with severe, persistent mental illnesses (SPMI) by placing Balls’
model in the specific situation of the individual seeking help in an emergency
setting, creating the situation-specific theory of crisis emergencies for individuals
with SPMI. There is a large and growing presence of clients with SPMI
in crisis engaging nurses in emergency departments. Through application of
an integrative approach, a situation-specific theory for nurses in emergency
departments to distinguish between a need for mental health crisis intervention
and mental health emergency intervention has been developed, with
implications for nursing practice, policy, and research