Another fine edition in Oxford University Press’ Emergencies handbook series.

Provides a practical and problem-orientated guide for all practitioners faced with a psychiatric emergency. Includes guidance on how to assess and manage psychiatric emergencies, and how to manoeuvre successfully though the practical difficulties that may arise, whilst also avoiding medical, psychiatric, and legal pitfalls. A variety of specific emergencies and emergencies in different settings are covered, such as aggression and violence, victims of abuse, emergencies related to drug addiction, people with learning disabilities, and emergencies in old age psychiatry and primary care.

Contents

• The assessment of psychiatric emergencies

• The management of psychiatric and medical emergencies

• Psychiatric symptoms and syndromes presenting as emergencies

• Aggression and violence

• Victims of abuse, violence, and disaster

• Homelessness and loneliness

• Deliberate self-harm

• Alcohol misuse and dependence

• Other psychoactive substance misuse

• Emergencies related to psychotropic drug actions

• Psychiatric emergencies in accident and emergency departments

• Psychiatric emergencies in general hospital medical wards

• Psychiatric emergencies in surgical, radiotherapy, oncology and terminally-ill patients

• Psychiatric emergencies in obstetrics and gynaecology

• Psychiatric emergencies in children and adolescents

• Psychiatric emergencies in people with learning disabilities

• Emergencies in old-age psychiatry

• Psychiatric emergencies in primary care

• Difficult patients and difficult situations

• Assertive outreach, crisis resolution and intensive home treatment, and early intervention services;

• Emergencies in forensic psychiatry

• Mental health legislation relevant to emergencies in psychiatry