Resource Tag: EMERGENCY ASSESSMENT

The authors studied the clinical outcomes of suicidal adolescents who were treated within a rapid-response outpatient model in a setting in which a 10-day wait was usually required before outpatient treatment could be started, leaving hospitalization as the only immediately available alternative. Findings suggest that suicidal adolescents can be treated effectively within a rapid-response outpatient […]

This document presents a critical review of current practices & models for treatment of children & adolescents that includes identification of barriers to mental health treatment & recommendations for their resolution. (57 refs)

This article conceptualizes what a “behavioral emergency” is, gives recommendations for containing the emergency client’s emotional turmoil, & sets forth an evidence-based approach, using diagnosis-specific risk factors, for improving the clinician’s ability to estimate suicide risk. Recommendations are also given for appropriate responses to the patient or client on the basis of the level of […]

Describe is a program of social work delivery in an emergency room. The application of crisis intervention theory as practiced by the emergency room social work and the utilization of a system of clinical evaluation, community referral, and advocacy are delineated. Problem categories and protocols in social work treatment of patients and families in cases […]

Assessing current risk to patients with suicide ideation is one of the most common activities of the physician in the psychiatric emergency room. The guidelines presented in this column can help clinicians with the task of risk assessment & can serve as a reminder on areas to cover during the actual assessment.

This volume is a practical workbook on methods of dealing with individuals who may become, or are, a danger to themselves or others. Contents include trends in violence in America, issues in community emergencies, personality of the crisis worker, issues of environmental safety, general techniques, assessment of the violence-prone person, introduction to control techniques, suicide […]

This manuscript outlines the history of the crisis intervention unit. It was set up in 1972 to provide immediate attention & rapid follow-up for emergency patients with definate or suspected psychiatric problems. Current emergency ward procedures, follow-up procedures, volunteer selection & training, operational definitions, & prioities & goals, are discussed. The unit is staffed by […]

This article argues that the terms “crisis” & “emergency” are not interchangeable, offers specific definitions of each, & discusses some of the implications of the definitions. Callahan proposes that the traditional definition of crisis be used, that is a crisis is an upset in an individual’s baseline level of functioning. An emergency is defined as […]

Clinical presentation, course & management of 13 patients of suicidal poisoning with yellow oleander were studied. All patients who took more than 2 seeds had gastro-intestinal as well as cardiovascular toxic effects. Patients reponded well to symptomatic & supportive treatment when they had 4 or less seeds & reported to hospital within 4 hours of […]

In a vulnerable adolescent, a stressful developmental event may trigger a pathological response, e.g. depression with or without suicidal ideation or behaviour, that requires emergency psychiatric treatment. The basic components of an evaluation include: initial observation, taking a history, interviewing the patient & others accompanying the patient, conducting a mental status examination, making a diagnosis, […]

Outlines how pediatricians & other clinicians should deal with children & adolescents attempting suicide. The authors outline the methods employed in attempted & completed suicides, as well as identifying signs of high risk for further suicidal behavior. A large part of the article explains how to treat young suicidal attempters, who are often unwilling to […]

This article describes how to assess & treat patients in a hospital or clinic setting. The author provides sections on emergency consultation, the decision to hospitalize, involuntary commitment to a psychiatric unit, initial assessment, special suicide observation, security, hospital policies, treatment plans, discharge planning, & outpatient treatment. 4 brief case histories are also provided. (VM)

M.A. level social work clinicians self-rated their cognitive reactions & conscious feelings toward a total of 783 patients. Negative self-reported affect was related, inter alia, to patient’s displaying overt psychotic symptoms. Clinicians’ reactions did not enter into the model predicting hospitalization, which included opinion of family & friends, degree of psychopathology, suicidal ideation & lack […]

This chapter focuses on questions nurses can ask to identify the specific risk of suicide in a person. Questions can be asked to evaluate suicide ideation, nature of interactions, level of isolation, & kinds of losses suffered. Examples of such questions are given. Assessing the social network of a person experiencing suicide ideation, dealing with […]

Notes that, with the increase in employee assistance programs, the types of problems the EAP counselor must deal with are ever-widening & include areas such as crisis intervention. The authors present a program on how to apply general crisis intervention theory to the workplace & they emphasize that the training of social workers in systems […]

Presents the medical case history of a 14-year-old boy who had attempted suicide by hanging. Describes the treatment process from the time of discovery of the boy to the time of transfer to another hospital 4 days later. (15 ref)

This article outlines how to assess the degree to which a person is at risk of suicidal behaviour. The authors describe risk indicators, such as severe hopelessness, despair, or signs of thought disorder. They also detail clues like withdrawal, preoccupation with death, & forming a suicide plan. They also discuss crisis assessment. (VM)

Examines psychiatric emergency work as a unique form of crisis intervention. Basic practice principles are identified, including common intervention pitfalls that can occur especially with the novice helper. These pitfalls include inappropriately rescuing the client, getting drawn into a collusion with the client’s version of the crisis & retreating from responsibility. 5 of the most […]

In this paper, the case of an obtunded elderly women is presented. Initially diagnosed as suffering a cardiac problem, it was later found that she had taken a drug overdose. States that depression is common & under-recognized in the elderly. As a result, suicide rates are highest in the elderly. Over & underdosing of drugs […]

A group of 46 persons who had attempted suicide by jumping was compared on clinical & demographic patterns with a group of 214 persons who had attempted suicide by drug overdose. The risk indicators of persons attempting suicide by jumping were identified: more often men, of a more advanced age, married or widowed, more often […]

The tasks of emergency medical personnel using basic crisis intervention skills in cases of suicide, spouse abuse & child abuse are reviewed. Practical guidelines for the management of burnout among providers of emergency services are presented. The author postulates that empathic intervention in the initial stages of a crisis can significantly affect a patient’s ability […]