Ambulance-Emergency Psychiatry
Call for an Ambulance Service: 0431 2555666
An individual experiencing any signs of mental illness resulting in an ongoing current risk or imminent future risk to self or others represents a Psychiatric Emergency and would be seen and evaluated at Athma Emergency Care Unit.
Signs that a person may be suffering from a Mental Illness are any change in a person’s thinking, behavior, mood and/or sensory experiences associated with a disturbance of the person’s personal, social and/or occupational functioning resulting in an inability to carry out their day to day roles and responsibilities.
PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCIES
- High suicidal thoughts or a recent suicidal attempt
- Harming family members and others physically or recently harmed others due to mental illness
- Severe and persistent agitation or aggression due to mental illness
- Poor self-care due to mental illness
- Maintaining a posture for prolonged periods associated with not talking/expressing needs (stupor state-like a statue )
- Acute or sudden onset of psychiatric illness
- Drug over dose
- Chronic psychiatric illness – relapse
- Organic Mental disorders (delirium, dementia, seizure )
- Strange response – stressful life situation
- Iatrogenic Emergencies
- Side-Effects
- Psychiatric Symptomatology
Alcohol or Drug Dependence
- Withdrawal Syndrome
- Withdrawal seizures / Fits
- Delirium
- Overdose
Why Ambulance Service
- Major hurdle for the patient’s caretaker is there is no ambulance service for emergency psychiatry.
- Majority of the ambulance services hesitate to take persons with mental illness if they are aggressive, violent and shabby.
- Many cases bring the patients late because of vehicle in-availability.
- Less information about whom to contact for this type of emergencies.