Emergency psychiatry in the general hospital: staffing, training, and leadership issues

Psychiatric services in general medical hospitals have increased in the past two decades. More and more, emergency services are being used for less urgent problems, and have created difficulties in health care delivery for all physicians. This is especially true for psychiatrists, since emergency psychiatric care is more time - and staff-intensive, and the need for it is unpredictable. The important issues of staffing, training, and the need for creative leadership for emergency psychiatric services are discussed.