OBJECTIVE: Despite of the importance of psychiatric emergencies (PE) requiring treatment at an emergency room (ER) little is known about their frequency and current trends in terms of quantity and quality.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all PE treated at the ER of the University Hospital Ulm (Germany) in 2000 and 2010.
RESULTS: 6 % (2000) or 5 % (2010) of the ER cases were PE. Despite an increase from 369 to 430 cases (+ 16,5 %) their share decreased because of an even stronger increase of other emergencies (+ 33 %). The most frequent PE in 2000 was alcohol intoxication (37,7 %), while it was intoxication with prescribed and/or illicit drugs in 2010 (47,9 %). Patients with alcohol intoxications were significantly younger in 2010 as compared with 2000. Suicide attempts were seen in every fourth PE. They were significantly more frequent in 2010. PEs were generally more frequent in the evening and over the night.
CONCLUSION: This study provides first insight into current trends in PE treated at the ER in Germany. Our data provide an empirical starting point for optimizing clinical care, although the study is limited by its retrospective and mono-centric design.