SummaryAgitation in psychiatric settings, particularly in psychosis, presents a staggering challenge for clinicians, who must both manage the patient's acute symptoms and simultaneously make an accurate diagnosis. Too often, the management of the former confounds the latter. Patients are very often sedated medically, which masks their underlying condition, rendering accurate diagnosis delayed and inherently difficult. Significant data are available regarding both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for agitation that maximise symptom control while minimising confounding side-effects. In this article, a review of the historical evolution of agitation management in psychotic illness is presented, followed by an evidence-based clinical guideline for managing agitation in psychosis in the USA.

When it comes to areas of misunderstanding between children and their parents, video games are often at the top of the list. Beyond parents not always understanding the appeal of video games, dispute over access is an almost daily occurrence in many households, often leaving children and parents frustrated alike. Parents may have their own reasons for limiting access, but aside from the obvious issue of children excessively engaging in a single activity at the expense of other activities, video game use has been linked to mood and behavior changes as well as addiction.

The above was written in reference to the arrival of the telephone in 1876 and its impact on society, and yet it applies equally well today as we are confronted with the rapid and mass adoption of social media. The mere mention of social media has the tendency to enthrall the young, who have been born into a world suffused with its presence, while provoking anxiety in parents and mental health professionals, who were not. This discrepancy is so evident in the fact that today's youth don't bother to refer to YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the like as a distinct form of communication labeled “social media,” as their preceding generations have become accustomed to, but rather see them as plain old communication. This generational division has presented a significant challenge for parents of children who live in a world dominated by social media, as well as many mental health providers tasked with guiding them.