Acute Conditions in Psychiatry Part IV.

Overview

The paper discusses mental disorders which call for urgent medical assistance. It is a series ofdiagnostic and therapeutic procedures in psychopathological conditions which may threatenimmediately or potentially the patient’s behaviour. The first contact with the patient is usuallynot established by the psychiatrist but the doctor or staff of the medical emergency service.Conditions calling for urgent intervention may differ greatly as to the features of the clinicalpicture as well as the extent of necessary therapeutic provisions. It is important to keep in mindthat psychopathological conditions threaten the patient by pathophysiological mechanisms aswell as by pathological behaviour in the sense of suicide or self-destruction (without theintention to kill himself) or complete exhaustion of the organism or they threaten the patients’environment by their aggressiveness.

Key words:
acute condition - mental disorders - psychiatry.