Recognition and Management of Psychiatric Emergencies

Emergencies are simply unforeseen occurrences which present themselves to physicians in a variety of ways. Indeed, a physician is not the first person on hand for most emergencies but may merely be called upon for appropriate intervention. Any of us can be presented with an emergency, psychiatric or otherwise, at any moment. However, each of us has his own particular probability of sampling psychiatric emergencies, depending upon who he is and what he does. In actual fact, psychiatric emergencies more often confront people other than psychiatrists, for example, the policeman, the social worker, and the general practitioner (Ewing, 1965). As in most medical matters, prevention is preferable to cure. Thus, anticipation of complications and the early detection of pending emergencies are skills to be cultivated--something I will talk about later