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The Importance Of A Psychiatric Evaluation Staff Member Within The Emergency Department

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Everyday people go to their nearest emergency for anything from cuts and bruises to extremes such as heart attacks. Medical professional are trained to treat injuries ranging from superficial to internal, however, there is one type of patient that nurses and doctors alike have voiced repeatedly that they do not feel comfortable treating and that is a person with a mental health illness. Each year there has been an increasing number of people that have to utilize the emergency department due to mental health problems, symptoms ranging from difficulty breathing to anxiety problems to people having psychotic breaks. In this paper I intend to describe and demonstrate the importance of having a psychiatric evaluation staff member within the emergency department to assist with evaluating and determining appropriate care for patients with psychiatric illnesses. This paper will attempt to address some of the difficulties that children and their families are faced when they are forced to present to an emergency department for a mental illness whether voluntarily or involuntarily. There will be a discussion of the frustrations within the system, but also a formulation through current literature to find resolutions to help ease the experience for all parties involved.
Impact on Children and Families
This topic is becoming an increasing problem for both children and families alike due to difficulties accessing mental health care in a community setting, and providers becoming

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