Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
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Australas Psychiatry · Oct 2015
Assessing and managing suicidal patients in the emergency department.
The objective of this article is to set out consensus guidelines for the assessment and management of "suicidal patients" in the emergency department. ⋯ Clinicians should be respectful and reassuring. They should review old notes, conduct a full history and examination, and talk to friends, family and any practitioners already involved in the patient's care. Management should be guided, where possible, by the patient's preferences, not by notions of risk. Every negotiated management plan and its rationale should be carefully documented.
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Australas Psychiatry · Oct 2015
Reactions to driving cessation: a qualitative study of people with dementia and their families.
A proportion of older people with mild dementia are safe to drive. However, driving cessation is recommended at some point as the disease progresses. Driving cessation can have significant psychological and social consequences on people with dementia and their carers. This paper aims to explore the psychosocial and adjustment issues following driving cessation for people with dementia and their supporters. ⋯ The preliminary findings highlight the need for a more comprehensive process for driving cessation in those with dementia, with closer links to regulatory bodies, and increased support for their families/carers.
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In this study we aimed to examine the characteristics of Mental Health Act (MHA) usage in the Emergency Department (ED) of an urban teaching hospital in Sydney. ⋯ Police and ambulance MHA certification was a poor predictor of admission. Least restrictive measures were predominantly the outcome. Delegating ED physicians with authorised medical officer status assisted in facilitating this process. Formalised education and training on the principles and practicalities of MHA legislation should be ongoing for all professionals involved.