No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Crisis hospitalization has both an affirmative rationale in the community movement and a secondary rationale of cost containment. Brief hospitalization within the psychiatric emergency service offers intensive treatment and a rapid return to the community for the patient and is cost-effective for the mental health system.A model of brief psychiatric hospitalization has enabled the psychiatric emergency service (PES) to meet the needs of both patients and those who care for them. The PES provides a brief stay-usually two or three days-in a protected environment; patients must meet the usual criteria for inpatient admission.Using the PES for brief hospitalization has a number of advantages. First, the emergency team has time to gain diagnostic clarity and possibly to develop appropriate alternatives to hospitalization. Second, patients who are difficult to manage can more easily remain in the community because respite is available for both caregivers and patients. Third, the setting does not gratify and exacerbate dependency needs the way a hospital inpatient service might; and finally, the program can provide targeted treatment for patients whose symptoms can be ameliorated within a brief period of time.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract