LO7-8 Behavioural Emergencies Flashcards
Behavioural disorder and examples
interferes with a persons ability to perform activities of daily living
Mental health problem
Depression
Borderline, personality disorder
Behavioural emergency
exist when the abnormal behaviour threatens a persons health and safety with the health and safety of another
Imminent to have harm on others
Psychiatric emergency
person becomes suicidal, homicidal, or has a psychotic episode in which a person often experiences delusions and hallucinations
Delusions
Hallucinations
Delusions: false beliefs
Hallucinations: false perceptions
Causes of abnormal behaviour
Diabetes, seizure disorder, severe infections, metabolic disorders, head injury, stroke, alcohol, tumours in the brain and drugs may all cause derangements in behaviour
organic brain syndrome
abnormal behaviour are actually suffering from physical illness or are under the influence of a substance that effects normal cerebral function
Toxic and deficiency states
Drug induced psychoses Nutrition disorders Poisoning with bromide or other heavy metals Kidney failure Liver failure
Drug induced psychoses especially from:
Digitalis Steroids Disulfiram Amphetamines LSD, PCP and other psychedelics
Delirium
Is a symptom not a disease
Temporary/reversible condition that results in rapid changes to behaviour
May complicate the assessment of the underlying problem
Excited delirium
is a controversial condition that arises typically in male subjects with a history of mental illness and/or acute or chronic drug abuse, particularly stimulant drugs.
Some groups claim that this condition was “invented” to cover up the use of excessive force by law enforcement
the American College of Emergency Physicians has accepted excited delirium as a unique syndrome, despite the World Health Organization, and the American Psychiatric Association failing to acknowledge it as a medical or psychiatric diagnosis.
Excited delirium is characterized by a combination of the following:
- Delirium
- Agitation or anxiety
- Violent bizarre behaviour
- Inappropriately clothed
- Hallucinations or visual disturbances
- Inability to feel pain
- Superhuman strength
- Elevated body temperature (hyperthermia)
- Excessive sweating even in cold weather
Paramedics should consider the following when dealing with a patient displaying the signs of
excited delirium:
• Are we safe?
• Consider the need for physical restraint and sedation (ALS skill). Physical restraint is something that should be conducted with appropriate resources and preferably the assistance of law enforcement.
• Is the patient safe?
• Arms, legs, and body securely affixed to the cot?
• If the choice to restrain is made are we restraining the patient in such a way to allow for
breathing and airway control?
• If ALS sedates the patient are we in a position to assist with breathing and provide
supplemental oxygen?
• What else could be going on?
• remember that we need to rule but all other conditions before deciding on one specifically.
Psychosocial causes
Individuals may develop abnormal reactions to stressful psychosocial events or developmental influence
When exposed to stress this causes a crisis most of the time the patient will resolve the crisis in one of two ways they are:
Coping with it they will find ways to alter the situation to make it less stressful
Attempt to alleviate the discomfort by escaping including drug, alcohol, psychiatric symptoms and in some cases suicide
Categories of psychiatric disorders
Cognitive Thought Mood Neurotic Substance related disorders and addictive behaviour Somatoform Factitious Impulse control Personality
Disorders of consciousness
Distractibility and inattention
Confusion
Delirium
Stupor and coma
Disorders of motor activity
Restlessness
steryotyped movement
compulsions
retarted movements
Stereotyped movements
Compulsions
Stereotyped movements: involves the repetition of movements that do not seem to serve any useful purpose
Compulsions: repetitive actions that are carried out to relieve the anxiety of obsessive thoughts
Neologisms
words that the patient invents
Echolalia
the patient echos the words of the examiner
Retardation of thought
it seems to take a very long time to get from one thought to the next
Circumstantial thinking
the patient includes many irrelevant details in his or her account of things