EMR Training | Psychiatric and Behavioral Emergencies  | Chapter EMR-R07

EMR Training |  Psychiatric and Behavioral Emergencies| Chapter EMR-R07 begins with an introduction to the care of the subject. We subsequently explore  in-depth the following topics

1. Causes of Behavioral Emergencies.
2. Mental Status Examination.
3. Patient Considerations.
4. Suicide or Depression.
5. Agitated or Excited Delirium.

Important Notes:

• If you only want to take the online course for CME credit, you can pay here.  The fee for online-only does NOT include a skills session nor (re)certification.  Furthermore, you will receive a certificate for CME credit after successful completion of the course.
• This course is part of the EMR Recertification Session 1 curriculum.  Hence, if you sign up for EMR Recertification, you will be automatically enrolled in this course. Click here for scheduled courses.
• To get credit for this course, you must watch all the lessons in their entirety, the course review, and pass the quiz at the end with a score of 75% or better.

Excerpts from

Psychiatric and Behavioral Emergencies for the Emergency Medical Responder

The thoughts, perception, and judgment capabilities of a patient can tell you a lot about the severity of the problem they are going through.

For example, if a person can clearly articulate their thoughts in such a way that you can understand, they may be experiencing only mild or moderate symptoms that may not require immediate hospitalization. Of course, look for other aspects too such as the words and tone. If the patient sounds highly suicidal, you may need to take steps for intervention. But overall, the chances for severe mental illness are relatively less when a person can articulate the thoughts well.

Next, look at the perception. Does a person sound extremely sad, negative, and has a very pessimistic outlook of the future? If yes, it could indicate an underlying problem. Also, if a person’s perception is far removed from reality or if a person has unrealistic fears such as an alien attack, these could indicate a possible case of delusion, hallucination, and mild delirium.

Finally, evaluate a person’s judgment. Can the patient clearly explain a suicide plan? Is the patient capable of handling the situation and bringing it under control without help? Answers to such questions can help you decide the appropriate care.