[A crisis intervention service in an outpatient psychiatric clinic of a general hospital: function and clientele]

The authors describe an external crisis intervention service in a general hospital. This service is intended for a clientele presenting acute mental health problems, referred, in the majority of cases, from the emergency department. They present demographic data, diagnostic data, data on the factors precipitating the crises and data which can be used to qualify and quantify the clientele. In addition, they describe the therapeutic approach and the treatment philosophy, the number of follow-up sessions, and the guidance provided to the clientele after follow-up. Finally, the authors suggest prerequisites considered essential to the effective operation of a crisis intervention module in an external psychiatric clinic.