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Behavioral Emergencies for Healthcare Providers pp 141–150Cite as

Personality Disorders in the Emergency Department

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Abstract

Patients with personality disorders can be challenging to care for in emergency settings. Their poor coping, unstable affect, impulsivity, and interpersonal dysfunction can present unique challenges for health-care professionals. Having a personality disorder negatively affects medical outcomes and increases health-care utilization. In most cases, a personality disorder is suspected when a patient’s behavior is unusual, results in conflict, or elicits a strong emotional reaction from providers. Making a formal diagnosis of a personality disorder can be complicated and time-consuming and is generally beyond the scope of emergency care. However, identification of features commonly seen in individuals with personality disorders is helpful for patient care. Even individuals who do not meet full diagnostic criteria may have significant impairment and can benefit from the interventions described in this chapter.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatric Emergency Services, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USA

    Ashley Curry

  2. Eating Recover Center, Bellevue, WA, USA

    Megan Riddle

Authors
  1. Ashley Curry
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  2. Megan Riddle
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/ The Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, IL, USA

    Leslie S. Zun

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, CO, USA

    Kimberly Nordstrom

  3. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Michael P. Wilson

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Curry, A., Riddle, M. (2021). Personality Disorders in the Emergency Department. In: Zun, L.S., Nordstrom, K., Wilson, M.P. (eds) Behavioral Emergencies for Healthcare Providers. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52520-0_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52520-0_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-52519-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-52520-0

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