Psychiatric emergencies in the casualty department

Abstract

Psychiatric emergencies are difficult to define. The medical definition of psychiatric emergencies is situations in which, on account of an abnormal mental state or behaviour, the life of a patient, or someone else, is in jeopardy. However this definition would exclude the commoner situations encountered in casualty which are characterised by severe dislocation in psychological or social functioning and often accompanied by their high nuisance value. In order to remedy this limitation I shall also use the concept of "crisis" to include those situations when there is a reduction in coping ability to external stress.