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
The study revealed several issues in this department. Voluntary emergency patients have to wait extended periods of time before being transferred to the appropriate department. The majority of those who have to wait are those seeking mental health assistance. Keeping people in the emergency department longer than necessary cause operational costs skyrocket, and worse, keeps the needs of patients from properly being met.
Schools need to educate parents and children about mental health and illness. According to an article published by the Association for Children’s Mental Health, “1 in 5 children and youth have a diagnosable emotional, behavioral or mental health disorder and 1 in 10 young people have a mental health challenge that is severe enough to impair how they function at home, school or in the community” (Problems at School). Schools could hold educational meetings on mental health to inform and aid parents and children to determine when they need to address mental health. Additionally, incorporating a stronger mental health aspect in the state required health
Furthermore, there are a number of barriers that prevent police from effectively dealing with people who have a mental illness. These include gaps in the community mental health service, and mix feelings about the nature of the responsibility when officers are responding to mental illness calls (Adelman, 2003). Barriers that are involve is, the inadequate advance information, when a situation arise police dispatchers do not ask for more information of what to expect when arriving to the scene as well any specific detail about the mental ill person such as, if the person has previously contacted the police before. Not
The recent increase in emergency 9-1-1 calls involving mentally ill persons has heightened the awareness of the Criminal Justice System. Across the nation, law enforcement encounters with mentally ill persons have become more frequent, and the use of deadly force against mentally ill persons has increased. Since the deinstitutionalization of the mental health system, law enforcement officials have been tasked with controlling deviant and sometimes criminal behavior of persons who suffer from mental illness. As a result, law enforcement agencies have implemented crisis intervention training (CIT) and diversion tactics due to the numerous challenges faced when serving the mentally ill. Major deficiencies in the mental health system and State legislations have hindered progressive efforts towards assisting mentally ill persons. With the dramatic consequences associated with untreated mental illness, it is certain that law enforcement officers will experience an encounter requiring knowledge, specialized training, and the ability to build collaborative partnerships.
Health care for mental illness is an issue in the African American community for Men, Women and Adolescents due to the underserving and lack of mental healthcare providers, the cultural stigma of having mental illness and
Ellis argues that law enforcement officers are ill prepared to handle individuals that experience a mental health crisis, allowing a safe intervention for the officers as well as the involved individuals. Subsequently, the promotion of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), is promoted as a technique that can assist law enforcement agencies in intervention to handle the mentally ill crisis. To assist in this task, this article views CIT from the nursing aspect, reviewing law enforcement’s comprehension, understanding, awareness, and the overall attitude of law enforcement staff. In addition, viewing the role of psychiatric-mental health nurse can be beneficial in a community collaborative community-based health care system. The article notes, with
Many people suffer from mental health challenges. Often times individuals need a place to go to obtain help both mentally and physically. Mental health problems can affect a significant amount of people. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood (“What is mental health?”, 2013 ). Mental health problems can become prevalent at any stage of life. It is important that those mental health problems be addressed and what better way to address those issues is to reach out to the local community to find those resources that can help assist in emergent and non-emergent mental health care.
A patient who comes into Crouse Hospital with symptoms or was brought in by a police department under the mental hygiene law, with psychiatric tendencies, shall be screened for their condition in the Emergency Department. A psychiatric patient may not advise of a medical condition or pertaining factors that could be affecting their mental status. Therefor it is essential that the Emergency Department look for evidence of other medical conditions which would take precedence over the psychiatric symptoms. An Emergency Department Social Worker will then evaluate the patient and work in conjunction with the hospital staff for the treatment of the patients well-being. When and if the physician has determined the patient is a danger to himself or others, the patient will be moved
A stand-alone emergency department specializes in dealing with psychiatric patients is a proven way to deviate psychiatric boarding in the regular ED. According to a study on the effect of having a dedicated psychiatric emergency service published in Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, “transferring patients from general hospital EDs to a regional psychiatric emergency service reduced the length of boarding times for patients awaiting psychiatric care by over 80% versus comparable state ED averages” (Zeller, Calma, & Stone, 2014). Not only will the emergency departments benefit from this study, but also inpatient psychiatric
Access to mental health care is not as good as than other forms of medical services. Some Americans have reduced access to mental health care amenities because they are living in a countryside setting. Others cannot get to treatment for the reason of shortage of transportation or vast work and household tasks. In some areas, when a
The assaultive behavior displayed by psychiatric individuals in patient care settings has become a serious healthcare concern. Current research shows that the most common adverse event among hospitalized psychiatric patients is physical assault or fighting. “Thousands of assaults occur in American hospitals each year, including psychiatric units and emergency rooms, resulting in the labeling of such workplaces by some as occupationally hazardous” (Rueve & Welton, 2008). This has led to increased cost of providing healthcare Services derived from additional diagnostic tests for injuries, treatment, destruction of facility property, and injury to staff and other individuals.
Considering the director's recommendation for an immediate psychiatric evaluation, it seems rational to address the client's concerns regarding notifying her mother. Provided that Marcie is informed of, and has consented to an inpatient psychiatric assessment, and preparatory measures are in order, a thoughtful conversation between counselor and client should occur. That is, one needn't sidestep the topic of telling the client's mother about said plan since mom is in the waiting area, the two arrived together, and now, the situation calls for separate travel accommodations. Considering the client's symptoms, worsening depression, suicidality, prior thoughts of self-harm, and access to a handgun, it is critical that the transfer goes as
Mental illness accounts for six to nine percent of emergency room visits in the United State (Zeller, Calma & Stone, 2014). Working in an emergency room this author has seen what boarding in the emergency room and not having a therapeutic environment can do to a pscyharitic patient. Having a therapeutic environment would be having more than just a bed in a room with a television that is behind a screen. Patients state that having a nontherapeutic environment is like being in a jail cell (McKellar, 2015). The environment that the patient his in has to do with his or her experience of recovery and healing process (Donald, Duff, Lee, Kroschel, & Kulkarni, 2015). Patients are sometimes staying as long as seven days in the emergency room waiting for an inpatient bed to become available (Vierheller & Denton, 2014). Having patient that can be boarding up to seven days it is crucial that the environment that the patient is in is therapeutic so the patient could possibly start his or her healing process in the emergency room, and possibly prevent an inpatient hospitalization.
I think the greatest challenges to service provision and access to services are seeking treatment, service utilization, and reducing the risk of comorbid disorders. Children and adolescents may not seek treatment for their disorders until adulthood, and the “time between the first appearance of symptoms and first service use could extend to several years” (Costello, He, Sampson, Kessler, & Merikangas, 2014). This was the case for me. I knew I had mood regulation issues when I was younger, but did not seek treatment until college where I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. If I were diagnosed as a child I could have had more opportunities for mental health services because “unlike adults, children may receive mental health services from many
In emergency situations, psychiatrists are often faced with the diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting with psychiatric symptoms of sudden or presumed recent onset. These symptoms can be subdivided into the following types: