Stabilization and Management of the Acutely Agitated or Psychotic Patient

Nathan Deal; Michelle Hong; Anu Matorin; Asim A Shah

doi:10.1016/j.emc.2015.07.003

Stabilization and Management of the Acutely Agitated or Psychotic Patient

Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2015 Nov;33(4):739-52. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2015.07.003. Epub 2015 Sep 16.

Authors

Nathan Deal¹, Michelle Hong², Anu Matorin³, Asim A Shah⁴

Affiliations

¹ Section of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Center, Ben Taub General Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, 1504 Taub Loop, Room EC 61, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
² Section of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Center, Ben Taub General Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, 1504 Taub Loop, Room EC 61, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address: Michelle.Chan@bcm.edu.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neuropsychiatric Center, Ben Taub General Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, 1502 Taub Loop, Room 2.126, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neuropsychiatric Center, Ben Taub General Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, 1502 Taub Loop, Room 2.125, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

PMID: 26493520
DOI: 10.1016/j.emc.2015.07.003

Abstract

Acutely agitated or psychotic patients are particularly challenging to manage in the emergency department. Often these patients present with little or no history, and an adequate assessment may initially be difficult because of the condition of the patient. This article discusses basic concepts regarding agitation, and the related management goals and strategies.

Keywords: Agitation; Antipsychotics; Benzodiazepines; Psychomotor agitation; Psychosis.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Acute Disease
Disease Management*
Emergency Service, Hospital*
Humans
Mental Disorders / therapy*
Psychomotor Agitation / therapy*