The definition of a crisis varies from person to person, it all depends on what you have experienced in the past and how you have dealt with it and what you deem to be your current "normal".

In terms of the medication, I think you should be honest with your doctor if you trust them and have a good relationship with them and have a discussion on why you went off of the medication in the first place and how you felt during that period of time and what convinced you to come back to them. I've tried many times to quit my medication but it's left me so unhappy and prone to self harm that I decided I should learn to live with it and understand that my depression doesn't make me, me and it's okay to feel sad or depressed every now and again just as long as you know how to properly handle yourself.

A crisis varies from person to person, depending on what their diagnosis is and how/what they do in an unstable mood.

Going off your meds without your Dr.'s approval/notice is never a good idea. You don't have to do what they say, you don't have to take the meds, but when you make major changes like that, they need to at least be kept in the loop in case of a severe crisis, or you doing harm to yourself. Going back on your meds at a lower dose that you've deemed appropriate without a Dr.'s input, is still risky. Yes you need to contact your Dr. and let them know what's going on. They need to set the dose that you start up on, it should not just be a guess from you. These are very strong medications, not something that should be randomly messed about with. I hope you can get to a stable point on your meds, and that you stay safe and that you do the smart thing and let your Dr. know what's going on. The relationship between a Pdoc and patient is largely built on honesty and trust, and those 2 things go both ways, your Dr. has to be able to trust that you're telling them the truth.

Take care,

First of all, good luck, medication therapy is definitely a journey. Sometimes a very necessary one to work on feeling better. I'd say I'd deem feeling like you're going to act on any harmful thoughts you're having would be and limited to just that, a crisis.

Yes, I think you should tell her. If you do not tell her, she cannot help you.

I suppose if you're back on the meds there's no reason not to tell the doctor you went off them. Now you know it's not a good idea to do that without consulting the doc first.

Always be honest with them. They ARE here to help you cope with this disease and to teach you how. To do this they need to know exactly where you are in relation to the disease and how you are feeling, what you are experiencing. My best to you.