Emergency Department Treatment of the Psychiatric Patient

Susan Stefan, J.D., directs the National Emergency Department Project at the Center for Public Representation, based in Massachusetts. The Project seeks to improve the care of people with psychiatric disabilities when they are in crisis. Dr. Stefan, formerly at the University of Miami School of Law, is a leading authority on the civil rights of people with mental illnesses. She is a litigator and policy advocate, and author of two books, includingUnequal Rights: Discrimination against People with Mental Disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act. She lives with her husband and dog in Rutland, Massachusetts.

"Emergency Department Treatment of the Psychiatric Patient is a marvelous work. It shows us the ED through the eyes of the patient. Even more important, it shows us how rules and procedures can be set up that help ED personnel to respect and support people with mental illness during what are often their worst moments. This book should be read by everyone who works with people with mental illness."--Charles W. Lidz, Ph.D., Research Professor ofPsychiatry, Director, Center for Mental Health Services Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School"Although more by default than design, hospital emergency departments have become settings where the nation's failures in addressing the needs of people who have mental illnesses are routinely played out. For many of these individuals, the emergency department has come to represent less a safe haven and a gateway to care than yet another affirmation of how a "mental patient" is an unwanted burden. Ms. Stefan's thoughtful analysis of this scenario andrecommendations for improvements make Emergency Department Treatment of the Psychiatric Patient essential reading for anyone concerned about the disjuncture between physical and mental healthcare and thenation's urgent need for meaningful reform."--Robert Bernstein, Ph.D., Executive Director, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law"Emergency Department Treatment of the Psychiatric Patient includes a set of valuable proposals by experts for standards of care for emergency mental health treatment. As an overview of current conditions and futures directions, [this] book will serve as a valuable handbook and reference handbook for clinicians who work in emergency settings, for emergency room physicians, for health planners, and for attorneys and other advocates who work withpersons with serious mental illness."-- Robert M. Factor, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director, Emergency Services, Mental Health Center of Dane County"...a concise yet comprehensive discussion of these various problems and challenges from both a macro and micro level...it is an excellent work...appropriately organized and clearly written and consider it a must-read for health care professionals across disciplines who practice in the area of emergency medicine."--PsycCRITIQUES"Emergency Department Treatment of the Psychiatric Patient is a marvelous work. It shows us the ED through the eyes of the patient. Even more important, it shows us how rules and procedures can be set up that help ED personnel to respect and support people with mental illness during what are often their worst moments. This book should be read by everyone who works with people with mental illness."--Charles W. Lidz, Ph.D., Research Professor ofPsychiatry, Director, Center for Mental Health Services Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School"Although more by default than design, hospital emergency departments have become settings where the nation's failures in addressing the needs of people who have mental illnesses are routinely played out. For many of these individuals, the emergency department has come to represent less a safe haven and a gateway to care than yet another affirmation of how a "mental patient" is an unwanted burden. Ms. Stefan's thoughtful analysis of this scenario andrecommendations for improvements make Emergency Department Treatment of the Psychiatric Patient essential reading for anyone concerned about the disjuncture between physical and mental healthcare and thenation's urgent need for meaningful reform."--Robert Bernstein, Ph.D., Executive Director, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law"Emergency Department Treatment of the Psychiatric Patient includes a set of valuable proposals by experts for standards of care for emergency mental health treatment. As an overview of current conditions and futures directions, [this] book will serve as a valuable handbook and reference handbook for clinicians who work in emergency settings, for emergency room physicians, for health planners, and for attorneys and other advocates who work withpersons with serious mental illness."-- Robert M. Factor, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director, Emergency Services, Mental Health Center of Dane County"...a concise yet comprehensive discussion of these various problems and challenges from both a macro and micro level...it is an excellent work...appropriately organized and clearly written and consider it a must-read for health care professionals across disciplines who practice in the area of emergency medicine."--PsycCRITIQUES

• 1. Introduction ; 2. Overview of Emergency Services for People with Psychiatric Disabilities ; 3. Patients' Problems in Emergency Department Care ; 4. Professional Issues in Emergency Department Care ; 5. Legal Rights and Standards in Emergency Department Treatment of People with Psychiatric Disabilities ; 6. Solutions to Problems in Emergency Department Treatment of People with Psychiatric Disabilities ; 7. Conclusion ; Appendix A: Emergency Department Treatment of People with Psychiatric Disabilities: Findings and Proposed Standards