Psychiatric emergencies refer to situations in which one is not able to refrain from actions which pose danger to one or to others. This may include suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempts, murder attempts, alcohol intoxication, depression, violence or even delusions ( Horwitz, Czyz, Berona& King, 2018). The patient may know or fail to know the dangers that his behaviors may be posing to him or to others. Even if the patient acknowledges the danger of his behaviors, he may continue acting in a similar manner despite knowing the risks involved. Often, people with psychiatric emergencies are taken for treatment by people in the community such as bystanders, family, friends, and police. Medical professionals may sometimes discover psychiatric emergencies during outpatient care ( Horwitz, Czyz, Berona & King, 2018). Sometimes patients may report themselves to healthcare centers for their inabilities to remain safe. When a clinician recognizes a psychiatric emergency, he or she should conduct a complete assessment of the concerning behavior. Some of the acute mental health problems may stem from religious, psychosocial, interpersonal or biological issues. The mental health experts are required to establish the risk factors and to conduct an overall assessment to recommend necessary treatment.
Once the condition is diagnosed, the clinician can conduct different ways of psychiatric medication. This may include psychotherapy and psychopharmacology. Psychotherapy method of treatment can be used to treat immediate challenges or acute conditions so long as the patient acknowledges that what he or she is suffering from is psychological ( Juster, Sasseville, Giguère, Lupien& Signature, 2018). If the patient trusts the clinician and discloses for the clinician his or her psychopathological history, the clinician can conduct psychotherapy to the patient. The process of psychotherapy involves establishing the basic complaint of the patient, acknowledging the psychosocial factors, establishing an accurate representation of the problem and formulating means of solving the problem and setting particular goals.
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For psychopharmacology, the patient can be given medication either orally or through injection. Oral means may not work in cases where the patient vomits or experiences nausea. Administration of suppositories may be an option in certain situations. Intravenous injection and intramuscular injection may be considered an option in some situations ( Ng, Maldonado, Ndukwe, Sharma& Lantz, 2018). The patients may be referred for admission in a tertiary care hospital if the patient continues to pose threat to one or to others even after getting medication.
References
Horwitz, A. G., Czyz, E. K., Berona, J., & King, C. A. (2018). Prospective associations of coping styles with depression and suicide risk among psychiatric emergency patients. Behavior therapy , 49 (2), 225-236.
Juster, R. P., Sasseville, M., Giguère, C. É., Lupien, S. J., & Signature Consortium. (2018). Elevated allostatic load in individuals presenting at psychiatric emergency services. Journal of psychosomatic research , 115 , 101-109.
Ng, N., Maldonado, C. M., Ndukwe, N., Sharma, P., & Lantz, M. S. (2018). Psychiatric Emergency Services and Older Adults: Where is the Right Place for Help?. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry , 26 (3), S111.
