The Management of Psychiatric Emergencies in Situations of Public Calamity

Leonardo Baldaçara; Antônio Geraldo da Silva; Lucas Alves Pereira; Leandro Malloy-Diniz; Teng Chei Tung

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.556792

The Management of Psychiatric Emergencies in Situations of Public Calamity

Front Psychiatry. 2021 Jan 28:12:556792. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.556792. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Leonardo Baldaçara^{1

2}, Antônio Geraldo da Silva^{1

3}, Lucas Alves Pereira^{1

4}, Leandro Malloy-Diniz^{5

6}, Teng Chei Tung^{1

7}

Affiliations

¹ Associação Brasileira de Psiquiatria, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
² Medicine, Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Palmas, Brazil.
³ Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁴ Departamento de Psiquiatria, Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, Brazil.
⁵ Mental Health Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
⁶ Psychology Department, Universidade FUMEC, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
⁷ Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract

The prevalence of mental health problems in the general population during a public calamity is high. In calamities, the number of patients who present with mental disorder outbreaks or crises may increase, but the necessary support systems to help them may be impaired if they have not been planned for. Although there are several models for addressing psychiatric emergencies, the general rules are the same, especially when it comes to making these services easily available to the affected population. In this article, we seek to review and present recommendations for the management of psychiatric emergencies in situations of public calamity, including disasters, physical and medical catastrophes, epidemics, and pandemics.

Keywords: humans; mental health; outbreaks; pandemics; psychiatric emergencies.

Publication types

Review