The Psychiatric clinics of North America
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Given the high rates of comorbidity, patients commonly present with multiple diagnoses to PESs or crisis services. Clinicians must be well versed in the evaluation, differential diagnosis, and treatment of patients with substance-abuse disorders or other Axis I, II, or III conditions if they are to provide state-of-the-art treatment of patients in need of emergency care.
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Psychiatr. Clin. North Am. · Dec 1999
ReviewMedical assessment of patients presenting with psychiatric symptoms in the emergency setting.
Psychiatrists in the emergency department (ED) are often asked to evaluate patients with disturbances of affect, behavior, and cognition. The first and most crucial step in the evaluation process is to eliminate possible medical causes for a patient presenting psychiatric symptoms. Failure to detect and diagnose underlying medical disorders may result in significant and unnecessary morbidity and mortality.
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Psychiatr. Clin. North Am. · Dec 1999
ReviewLevel 1 psychiatric emergency services. The tools of the crisis sector.
Psychiatric emergency services have become an increasingly important element in the mental health system. Many approaches to delivering these services have been described but no unifying constructs have emerged. ⋯ Categorization by capability is proposed as a means of improving the quality and consistency of assessment and treatment. Regional consolidation is proposed as a means of accomplishing these improvements while containing costs.