Citation

Kalogerakis MG. Hosp. Community Psychiatry 1992; 43(6): 617-621.

Affiliation

New York University School of Medicine, New York.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1601405

Abstract

Psychiatric emergencies faced by adolescents are often linked to developmental issues such as separating from parents, establishing attachments to peers, and developing autonomy. In a vulnerable adolescent, a stressful developmental event may trigger a pathological response--acute anxiety, depression with or without suicidal ideation or behavior, severe conduct disturbance, a first psychotic episode, or explosive or violent behavior--that requires emergency psychiatric treatment. The basic components of an emergency psychiatric evaluation of an adolescent include initial observation of the patient, taking a history, interviewing the patient and others accompanying the patient, conducting a mental status examination, making a diagnosis, and planning for disposition and further treatment. Such an evaluation may be the first contact with the mental health system for many adolescents, and the intervention of a sensitive clinician may help the adolescent be more comfortable seeking mental health care in the future.

Language: en