Clinical Features, Psychiatric Assessment, and Longitudinal Outcome of Suicide Attempters Admitted to a Tertiary Emergency Hospital.

The objective of this study was to characterize admissions to an emergency hospital due to suicide attempts and verify outcomes in 2 years. Data were collected from medical records and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The sample consisted of 412 patients (58.7% women; mean age = 32.6 years old, SD = 14.3). Self-poisoning was the most frequent method (84.0%), and they were diagnosed mainly as depressive (40.3%) and borderline personality disorders (19.1%). Previous suicide attempts and current psychiatric treatment were reported by, respectively, 32.0% and 28.4%. Fifteen patients (3.6%, 9 males) died during hospitalization. At discharge, 79.3% were referred to community-based psychiatric services. Being male (OR = 2.11; 95% CI = 1.25-3.55), using violent methods (i.e., hanging, firearms, and knives) (OR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.02-3.75) and psychiatric treatment history (OR = 2.58; 95% CI = 1.53-4.36) were predictors for psychiatric hospitalization. Of 258 patients followed for 2 years, 10 (3.9%) died (3 suicide), and 24 (9.3%) undertook new suicide attempts. Patients with a history of psychiatric treatment had higher risks of new suicide attempts (OR = 2.46, 95% CI = 1.07-5.65). Suicide attempters admitted to emergency hospitals exhibit severe psychiatric disorders, and despite interventions, they continue to present high risks for suicide attempts and death.

Are low doses of antipsychotics effective in the management of psychomotor agitation? A randomized, rated-blind trial of 4 intramuscular interventions.

BACKGROUND: Psychomotor agitation can be associated with a wide range of medical conditions. Although clinical practice advocates the use of several drugs for the management of psychomotor agitation, there are still very few controlled studies comparing the profiles of action and the adverse effects of different drugs that induce tranquilization. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of 4 low-dose pharmacological interventions used to control psychomotor agitation guided by the clinical response. METHODS: Using a randomized, rated-blind design, 100 agitated patients were assigned to receive 1 of 4 treatments: haloperidol (2.5 mg) + promethazine (25 mg) (HLP + PMZ), haloperidol (2.5 mg) + midazolam (7.5 mg) (HLP + MID), ziprasidone (10 mg) (ZIP), or olanzapine (10 mg) (OLP). Patients were evaluated just before the intervention and after 30, 60, and 90 minutes, using the Agitation-Calmness Evaluating Scale. Adverse effects were assessed within 24 hours after the intervention, using selected items from the UKU Scale (Ugvalg Klinisk Undersgelser Side Effect Scale). According to the clinical indication, medication could be repeated twice after the first injection. Data were analyzed using general linear model with repeated measures and logistic regression. RESULTS: All treatment options promoted a reduction in agitation, without causing excessive sedation, although a lower reduction in agitation was observed with HLP + PMZ and ZIP compared with HLP + MID and OLZ. The need for an additional dose of medication was observed in 22 patients, and only 8 remained agitated during the entire 90-minute period. A higher risk for the development of extrapyramidal symptoms within the following 24 hours was observed with HLP + PMZ. DISCUSSION: Low doses of haloperidol combined with midazolam can be as effective as olanzapine in reducing psychomotor agitation without increasing the risk of extrapyramidal effects. Because of the higher risk for the occurrence of extrapyramidal symptoms, the combination of haloperidol with promethazine should be considered a second-line treatment option.

Accuracy of psychiatric diagnosis performed under indirect supervision.

This work aimed at comparing the accuracy of the psychiatric diagnoses made under indirect supervision to the diagnoses obtained through Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID). The study was conducted in 3 university services (outpatient, inpatient and emergency). Data from the emergency service were collected 3 years later, after changes in the training process of the medical staff in psychiatric diagnosis. The sensitivity for Major Depression (outpatient 10.0%; inpatients 60.0%, emergency 90.0%) and Schizophrenia (44.4%; 55.0%; 80.0%) improved over time. The reliability was poor in the outpatient service (Kw = 0.18), and at admission to the inpatient service (Kw = 0.38). The diagnosis elaborated in the discharge of the inpatient service (Kw = 0.55) and in the emergency service (Kw = 0.63) was good. Systematic training of supervisors and residents in operational diagnostic criteria increased the accuracy of psychiatric diagnoses elaborated under indirect supervision, although excellent reliability was not achieved.