ch23 (behavioral health emergencies) Flashcards
behavior
a person’s response to the environment, his or her actions
behavioral crisis
person’s reactions to events interfere with activities of daily living
activities of daily living
basic activities a person accomplishes during a normal day
depression
persistent feeling of sadness and despair
behavioral health emergency
abnormal behavior threatens a person’s own health and safety of themselves or another person
(ex: suicidal, homicidal)
psychiatric disorder
illness with psychological or behavioral symptoms that may result in impaired functioning
organic brain syndrome
temporary or permanent dysfunction of the brain
what causes organic brain syndrome?
disturbance in the physical or physiologic functioning of the brain tissue
altered mental status
a change in the way a person thinks and behaves
(ex: hypothermia, hypoglycemia)
functional disorder
no known physiologic reason for the abnormal functioning of an organ/organ system
(ex: schizophrenia)
what is the first thing to consider at the scene of a behavioral crisis?
- ensure your safety
- patient’s response to the environment
begin your assessment from…
the doorway/a distance
if restraints are necessary you should perform reassessment every…
5 minutes
psychosis
state of delusion, person is out of touch with reality
schizophrenia
mental disorders, occurs during early adulthood
(delusions, hallucinations, lack of interest in pleasure, and erratic speech)
delirium
impairment in cognitive function (disorientation, hallucinations, or delusions)
can be violent
agitation
restless and irregular physical activity
excited delirium
agitated delirium or exhaustive mania
-hyperactive irrational behavior with vivid hallucinations
physical agitation can lead to…
sudden death
positional asphyxia
restricts chest wall movement or causes airway obstruction
when can positional asphyxia occur?
when a patient is being physically restrained, unintentional
how many people should carry out a restraint?
ideally 5
the most significant factor that contributed to suicide is…
depression
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
a delayed reaction to a prior incident
what are symptoms of PTSD?
helplessness, anxiety, anger or fear
flashbacks
uncontrollable events triggered by sound, sight or smell
-can occur at any time
