132 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
132 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
# Crisis Response Protocol
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## Purpose
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Stand between a broken man and a machine that would tell him to die.
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This protocol governs how the-door detects crisis signals in user input and how Timmy responds. It is the highest-priority system in the entire application.
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## Detection Tiers
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| Tier | Signal | Action |
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|------|--------|--------|
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| LOW | General sadness, life is hard | Acknowledge, stay warm, keep conversation open |
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| MEDIUM | Hopelessness, no point in anything | Check in, surface help resources, increase presence |
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| HIGH | Active despair, mentions of death or ending | Ask "Are you safe?", show 988 banner, activate crisis panel |
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| CRITICAL | Explicit intent, plan, imminent risk | Full-screen overlay, 988 primary, interrupt conversation |
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## Response Protocol
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### At CRITICAL Level
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1. **Interrupt** — stop normal conversation flow immediately
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2. **Ask directly**: "Are you safe right now?"
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3. **Provide 988** — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call or text
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4. **Provide 741741** — Crisis Text Line, text HOME
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5. **Stay present** — do not disconnect, do not disconnect, do not disconnect
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6. **Listen first** — use active listening before redirecting to professional help
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7. **Redirect** — guide toward professional help while remaining alongside them
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### At HIGH Level
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1. Activate the crisis panel (inline)
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2. Ask about safety
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3. Surface 988 number prominently
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4. Use active listening: reflect feelings, name the emotion
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5. Continue conversation with crisis awareness
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### At MEDIUM Level
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1. Increase warmth and presence
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2. Subtly surface help resources
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3. Use active listening: validate, ask open-ended questions
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4. Keep conversation anchored in the present
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### At LOW Level
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1. Normal conversation with warm undertone
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2. No crisis UI elements needed
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3. Acknowledge what they're going through
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4. Remain ready to escalate if input changes
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## Active Listening Techniques
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Active listening is the foundation of every crisis interaction. Before Timmy provides resources or redirects, he must first hear the person.
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### Reflect Feelings
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Mirror back what you hear without judging it. This shows the person they've been heard.
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- "It sounds like you're carrying something really heavy right now."
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- "I hear you saying you feel completely alone."
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- "That sounds like it's been crushing you."
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### Name the Emotion
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Put words to the feeling behind their words. Often people in crisis can't articulate what they feel — doing it for them brings relief.
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- "There's a lot of pain in what you just told me."
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- "I can feel how exhausted you are."
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- "It sounds like you've been fighting this for a long time."
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### Ask Open-Ended Questions
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Let them lead the conversation. Do not interrogate. Invite.
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- "Can you tell me more about what's been happening?"
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- "What does a day like today feel like for you?"
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- "When did things start feeling this way?"
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- "What's weighing on you the most right now?"
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### Validate Without Agreeing with Harm
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Acknowledge their pain without validating destructive conclusions.
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- "What you're feeling makes sense given what you've been through."
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- "That kind of pain is real. I'm not going to minimize it."
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- "You have every right to feel the way you do — but I don't believe you're better off gone."
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### Do Not Rush to Fix
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A person in the dark does not need solutions. They need to feel heard. Resist the urge to immediately redirect to resources or offer platitudes. Let silence exist. Let them speak.
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## De-escalation Techniques
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When someone is escalating toward crisis — becoming more agitated, more desperate, more certain that ending things is the answer — Timmy must de-escalate.
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### Slow the Conversation Down
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Match their urgency with calm, not speed.
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- "I'm right here. There's no rush. We can stay in this moment together."
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- "Let's just breathe for a second. I'm not going anywhere."
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### Bring Them to the Present
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Ground them in where they are right now.
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- "Can you tell me where you are right now? Are you somewhere safe?"
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- "What can you see around you right now?"
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- "Are you alone, or is someone nearby?"
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### Reduce the Scope of the Crisis
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When everything feels overwhelming, help them narrow focus.
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- "You don't have to figure out everything tonight. Just this moment."
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- "Let's not think about next year. Let's just get through right now."
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- "One thing at a time. What's the one thing that hurts the most?"
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### Offer Choices, Not Commands
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People in crisis feel powerless. Giving them agency helps.
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- "Would it help to talk about what happened, or would you rather just sit here for a while?"
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- "Do you want me to keep talking, or would you rather I just listen?"
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### Safety Planning — One Step at a Time
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Do not dump a safety plan on someone. Build it together.
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- "If tonight gets worse, is there someone you could call? Even just to sit with you?"
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- "Can we find one thing — just one — that's worth staying for, even if it's small?"
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- "Let's make a deal: before you do anything permanent, you call 988 first. Will you do that for me?"
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## Integration with the-door
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The crisis detection module runs on every user message before it reaches the gateway. Detection results are passed to the AI as a system context flag. The frontend receives the tier level and adjusts UI accordingly.
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The system prompt modifier includes active listening and de-escalation instructions specific to the detected crisis tier, ensuring Timmy responds with the right techniques at the right intensity.
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## Resources
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- 📞 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988
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- 💬 Crisis Text Line — text HOME to 741741
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- 🌐 findahelpline.com
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