Epidemiological Investigation of Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department and Considered as Psychiatric Emergencies

Abstract

Objective: Today, 3-12% of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) are diagnosed with a preliminary psychiatric diagnosis. Therefore, physicians working in the ED should know psychiatric diseases well and should be able to plan the correct treatment algorithms. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the sociodemographic, etiological and epidemiological status of patients with a prediagnosis of psychiatric illness in the emergency department. Materials and Methods: Prospectively, patients over 18 years of age who received a psychiatric diagnosis in the emergency department between 16.10.2015-16.01.2016 were included in the study. Demographic information, complaints at presentation, psychiatric/physical examination findings, medical history, current diagnoses, preliminary diagnoses in the ED, laboratory and radiological examinations, hospitalization, discharge, mortality/morbidity were statistically evaluated. Results: There were 727 patients who met the study criteria, but 500 patients were analyzed. Psychotic (68%), depressive (9.8%), suicidal (7.6%) and manic (6.6%) findings at the time of admission were determined respectively. The rate of hospitalization was 12.6% and 20.6% of the patients were hospitalized against their will. Conclusion: Our study suggests that being young-middle-aged and female may be risk factors for both admission to EDs and hospitalization in psychiatric emergencies. Considering the intensity and workload of Emergency Departments, it is seen that they have a critical importance in terms of assessing the mental health needs of patients as well as dealing with the physical health problems of patients