Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T07:43:02.940Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 31 - Disaster and terrorism emergency psychiatry

from Section 5. - Special populations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2013

By
Michael S. Pulia
Edited by
Leslie S. Zun
Edited in association with
Lara G. Chepenik  and
Mary Nan S. Mallory
Leslie S. Zun
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Mt Sinai Hospital, Chicago
Lara G. Chepenik
Affiliation:
Yale University School of Medicine
Mary Nan S. Mallory
Affiliation:
University of Louisville, School of Medicine
Get access

Summary

This chapter focuses on the essential elements of an immediate post-disaster assessment and treatment plan for emergency physicians (EPs). The increasing frequency and impact of natural disasters combined with the ever-present threat of terrorism make the management of disaster victims an essential skill for the EP. Dissociation in disaster victims can be difficult to distinguish from delirium due to medical causes. After ruling out any serious medical issues which require stabilization, the focus should shift to assessing the degree of traumatic exposure and individual risk factors for adverse psychiatric outcomes. The concept of acute psychiatric care for victims of trauma is derived from the experience of military psychiatrists in handling traumatized soldiers. Various clinical trials have examined the role of propranolol in traumatic memory consolidation and as a potential agent for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevention in traumatized emergency department (ED) patients.

Keywords

physical restraintseclusionketaminelorazepampharmacologyhaloperidolchemical restraintemergency department
Type
Chapter
Information
Behavioral Emergencies for the Emergency Physician , pp. 230 - 234
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×