What is a psychiatric emergency room/psychiatric emergency department?

What is a psychiatric emergency room/psychiatric emergency department? A psychiatric emergency room takes care of acute mental problems and is equivalent to a regular emergency room that treats acute physical injuries. You can turn to a psychiatric emergency room 24 hours a day if you need acute help for mental problems. You can call or come in if you are having an acute crisis, because you have just experienced or witnessed a violent incident.

You can also contact the emergency room if you experience acute, severe suicidal thoughts or newly occurring psychoses or withdrawals that require acute treatment. Or perhaps you have a mental illness such as depression, mania, anxiety or psychosis and your condition is acutely getting worse. You may also make contact as a relative and receive advice and guidance on how to handle an acute situation in which a person close to you is having mental problems or a mental illness.

You can contact both in person – this is the emergency room – and by phone to receive advice and guidance. Some people reach out on their own initiative, while others make contact as proposed by their own doctor or another therapist. However, it can be a good idea to contact your own doctor or a doctor on call to hear his or her assessment of your situation prior to going to the psychiatric emergency room.

When arriving to the psychiatric emergency room, you will be received by a nurse or another healthcare worker who will speak with you about why you have come in and what you need. He or she will form a general overview of your situation and how to help you the best. He or she will also inform you of the options you have to receive help. If it is deemed necessary, you will also speak with a doctor.

The doctor will speak with you about how you can best receive help and treatment. Depending on your problem, you may be referred to your own doctor who may either provide your further treatment or refer you to a psychologist or a private practitioner psychiatrist. You may also need to stay in the emergency room for observation so that it is possible to assess your condition. Another possibility is that you are offered to be admitted in a psychiatric unit.

It is often a good idea if a relative accompanies you to the psychiatric emergency room so that you are not alone. If you are not doing well, it can be difficult to listen and remember what is being said. Your relative can help you with this. He or she can also contribute with useful knowledge about your current situation, your life story and your illness progression up to this point. But you must give consent that he or she may participate.

If you have a relative with you, but do not wish to give consent, he or she will be offered general information and guidance on the illness, medication and treatment. A psychiatric emergency room takes in anyone who come in, no matter where you live. But if you are offered to be admitted in a psychiatric unit, as a starting point you must be admitted to the hospital which you belong to geographically.

You will be asked to drive there yourself, if possible, or if you are in a very bad state, the emergency room will arrange transportation for you. When you come to a psychiatric emergency room, there is a risk that there is waiting time. You must be prepared for the fact that you may be skipped over in the queue just like in a regular emergency room if a patient arrives who has a more acute need for help than you.

If you have previously been in or are in treatment for a mental illness and you can wait until the day time to receive help, it may be recommended that you contact your therapist or treatment location directly. They know you and your situation, and you will often experience receiving better help.