HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS British Journal of Psychiatry Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Cassar, S. Articles by Williams, D. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Cassar, S. Articles by Williams, D.

Mental health presentations to an inner-city accident and emergency department

Department of Liaison Psychiatry, Guy's, King's & St Thomas' Medical & Dental School, St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH

D. Williams, Consultant

Department of Accident & Emergency Medicine, Guy's & St Thomas' Hospitals Trust

AIMS AND METHOD

To study the presentation, assessment and management of all patients attending St Thomas' accident and emergency (A&E) department with overt mental health problems. The method included a pragmatic definition of ‘overt mental health problems’ and a range of strategies to maximise case ascertainment.

RESULTS

The department saw 565 presentations in a 3-month period. Patients were predominantly young, male, single, unemployed, housed outside the area served by the local primary care group and presented outside normal working hours.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

This study confirms that A&E departments may be the most frequently used setting for urgent mental health assessments in central London. The patients attending differ from those using community mental health teams. It is argued that mental health liaison services based in inner-city A&E departments should be developed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Alati, S. Kinner, J. M. Najman, G. Fowler, K. Watt, and D. Green GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND MENTAL HEALTH IN PATIENTS ATTENDING AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT Alcohol Alcohol., September 1, 2004; 39(5): 463 - 469. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]