Handbook of Psychiatric Emergencies

Learning Objectives

After completion of this course you’ll be able to:

  • Categorize psychiatric patients into three groups.
  • List the factors you should consider while creating the best environment to examine a psychiatric patient.
  • Describe how the appearance, movement, and speech of a psychiatric patient can help you establish an initial diagnosis.
  • Provide a differential diagnosis on the basis of circumstantialities and tangentiality.
  • Explain how thought content can provide insight into a patient’s mental status.
  • Identify four situations in which you may reveal confidential patient information.
  • Emphasize the importance of documenting all interventions.
  • Discuss the three basic elements of consent.
  • List 7 points that should be covered during initial examination to assess a patient’s competence.
  • Identify circumstances under which you may be held liable for harm caused by your patient either to himself or others.
  • List various common signs and symptoms of delirium.
  • Describe the mental status and physical findings of alcohol intoxication.
  • Describe the interpersonal and pharmacologic interventions for alcohol withdrawal.
  • Describe the management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
  • Discuss medicolegal considerations associated with alcoholic emergencies.
  • Describe the triage approach to drug abuse.
  • Describe the pharmacologic intervention for opioid withdrawal.
  • Describe the mental status findings of schizophrenia and mania and provide a differential diagnosis.
  • List medical disorders that mimic schizophrenia and mania.
  • Describe the interpersonal interventions for a paranoid and catatonic patient.
  • Provide a differential diagnosis of violent patients.
  • Describe the interpersonal interventions a clinician should use when faced with a violent patient.
  • Discuss legal considerations involved in informed consent, refusal of treatment, dangerousness, and duty to warn or protect intended victims.
  • Classify self-destructive patients into three categories.
  • Identify clinical indicators of high suicide risk.
  • List major depressive syndromes.
  • Describe the interpersonal intervention for a nonpsychotic patient with depression.
  • Describe the management of grief of survivors of a patient who has died unexpectedly.
  • List medical disorders associated with anxiety.
  • Make a differential diagnosis of panic disorder.
  • Make a classification of phobias.
  • Identify phobias, obsessions, compulsions, and P.T.S.D., and provide interpersonal, pharmacologic and educational interventions.
  • Describe usual staff reactions to domestic abuse.
  • Identify spousal abuse in patients.
  • Describe the interpersonal interventions in cases of elder abuse.
  • Describe the protocol for examining a rape victim.
  • List signs of physical and sexual abuse.
  • Describe the runaway behavior of boys and girls.
  • Identify risk factors for child abuse.
  • Perform mental status and physical findings on a patient with dementia.
  • Provide interpersonal intervention to the delirious elderly patient.
  • Identify and differentiate among the most common types of psychoses in the elderly population.
  • Describe the management of a suspected drug abuser in the emergency psychiatric setting.
  • Identify malingerers.
  • Discuss the general, neurologic and other effects of antipsychotic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, and antianxiety drugs.

Table of Contents

  • Chapter 1: Clinical Assessment
  • Chapter 2: Medicolegal Consideration
  • Chapter 3: Delirium
  • Chapter 4: Alcohol Emergencies
  • Chapter 5: Drug Abuse Emergencies
  • Chapter 6: Schizophrenia and Mania
  • Chapter 7: Violence Behavior
  • Chapter 8: Self-Destructive Behavior
  • Chapter 9: Depression
  • Chapter 10: Anxiety
  • Chapter 11: Domestic Abuse
  • Chapter 12: Rape
  • Chapter 13: Child and Adolescent Emergencies
  • Chapter 14: Geriatric Emergencies
  • Chapter 15: Difficult Situations
  • Chapter 16: Psychotropic Drug Reactions

Comments:

"I really liked this course! It was easy to read and understand."

- S.G., Counselor, CA

"Nicely organized content, very useful info. Although I didn't need as much pharmalogical info."

- S.F., LMHC, MA