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Child Psychiatric Emergencies: Updates on Trends, Clinical Care, and Practice Challenges

  • Complex Medical-Psychiatric Issues (MB Riba, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Psychiatry Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Over the past 15 years, the number of pediatric patients presenting to the emergency room in psychiatric crisis has nearly doubled. Suicidality and aggression are among the most common presenting problems, making it important for providers to have up-to-date knowledge about the assessment and management of these frequently encountered clinical issues. Psychometrically sound suicide risk assessment tools are available for use in the emergency room setting, which can be administered efficiently with minimal provider training. Rates of off-label medication use in the pediatric population continue to increase and are often used in the management of acute agitation in the pediatric population. The current literature will be reviewed and summarized for application in emergent treatment settings. Overall, evidence to inform best practice is limited, leading to opportunities for innovation in health care delivery, the development of new research aims, and discussion of challenging clinical dilemmas.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA

    Beau Carubia & Amy Becker

  2. Psychiatric Emergency Service, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA

    Amy Becker

  3. B. Harrison Levine, MD, Inc., Denver, CO, USA

    Beau Carubia & B. Harrison Levine

Authors
  1. Beau Carubia
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  2. Amy Becker
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  3. B. Harrison Levine
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Correspondence to Beau Carubia.

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Amy Becker, Beau Carubia, and B. Harrison Levine declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Complex Medical-Psychiatric Issues

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Carubia, B., Becker, A. & Levine, B.H. Child Psychiatric Emergencies: Updates on Trends, Clinical Care, and Practice Challenges. Curr Psychiatry Rep 18, 41 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-016-0670-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-016-0670-9

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