Mobile response for psychiatric emergencies.

Abstract

The administrative issues which arise most often in organizing a mobile response have to do with sufficient staffing to cover the 24 hours including identifying staff of one's own agency and staff of other agencies with whom to collaborate. The availability of a psychiatrist and a judge may be important persons to remember to identify ahead of time. The skill and empathy of the local police in handling "mentals" is also crucial. Finding funding sources for the service, and working within the space constraints for basing the service at the local hospital in the emergency area are no small feats. Training or hiring staff for doing emergency triage including the identification of medical problems and psychiatric presentations is a must.