Protest behaviors among patients placed in seclusion in a psychiatric emergency service.

BACKGROUND: Patients placed in seclusion for behavioral dyscontrol often perceive that the health care team is treating them inappropriately. These patients may express their indignation in many ways. To better characterize these behaviors, we conducted a study of protest behaviors in a psychiatric emergency service. METHODS: Video surveillance of seclusion room occupants is routinely reviewed as part of our safety protocol. For 1 month in 2022, we noted the frequency and timing of potential protest behaviors such as disrobing and evacuation. Descriptive statistics were applied. RESULTS: A total of 41 seclusion events (8.1%) occurred over the surveillance period, which included 504 initial emergency psychiatric evaluations. Six patients (14.6%) engaged in protest behaviors (all within 5 minutes of being placed in seclusion), including 3 (7.3%) who urinated and 3 (7.3%) who disrobed. One patient urinated almost immediately (2.4%), and another urinated 25 minutes after entering seclusion; the latter was not interpreted as a protest behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate behaviors in seclusion that are different from behaviors that led to seclusion can be interpreted as protest behaviors. The 2 most often observed protest behaviors were urination and disrobing.

Inhaled loxapine for acute agitation in a psychiatric emergency service.

BACKGROUND: Rapid control of agitation in medical settings is necessary for safety and provision of care. Inhaled loxapine achieves peak plasma levels within 2 minutes of administration and is FDA-approved for managing acute agitation. METHODS: We examined the use of inhaled loxapine vs non-parenteral treatment as usual (TAU) in a psychiatric emergency service for consecutive patients with acute agitation or aggression. Data were collected retrospectively. T tests were used for continuous variables and Chi-square tests were used for categorical data. RESULTS: A total of 61 patients received inhaled loxapine and 29 received TAU. Time to outcome for patients receiving inhaled loxapine was 21 ± 21 minutes compared with 121 ± 206 minutes for TAU (t =-2.61; P = .014). At outcome, 89% of patients treated with loxapine experienced symptom resolution, compared with 69% of TAU (Chi-square = 17.4, P < .0001). Ten percent of patients receiving loxapine had no change in symptoms and 1% had worsening symptoms vs 14% in the TAU group who experienced no change in symptoms (z = 0.5, not significant), and 17% who described worsening symptoms (z = 6153.9, P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The rapid absorption of inhaled loxapine is associated with a 6-fold faster and more robust symptom control.