This presentation will be an interactive experience covering the basics of Emergency Psychiatry and its myriad of applications in different therapeutic settings. While the field is well known in its interactions within the field of Emergency Medicine, it has many applications beyond that milieu including community psychiatry and hospitalist practices. The field of Emergency Psychiatry has been in existence since the mid-1950s, and it has seen exponential growth as crisis care has evolved and more patients have been seen in emergency rooms since the beginnings of deinstitutionalization. An important concept within this field is the fact that behavioral emergencies can occur in any setting, and as such there are medical guiding principles that can be utilized to benefit not only the patient’s well being but also the physician caring for them. These principles are the basics of Emergency Psychiatry, and as such, are the focus of this presentation.The first third of the discussion (approximately) will focus on introductions to the presenters, the American Association of Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP), and the discipline as a whole. A strong point in this presentation, aside from the subject matter, is three presenters who are all active in the AAEP (past presidents as well as president elect), not to mention a good mix of both psychiatrists and emergency medicine physicians. These speakers all prize interactive discussions and are experienced educators that use multiple modalities to engage, maintain interest, and spark longitudinal thoughts on the topic. The second component of the presentation will be the crux of the “101” subject matter pertaining to Emergency Psychiatry. This will include a focus on the topic of Medical Clearance, particularly on advances, position papers, treatment tools, and how these advances benefit patient satisfaction and systemic processes (by reducing boarding elements). We will then transition to the handling of high acuity cases and the target symptom of agitation. This will cover both traditional biological approaches as well as therapeutic innovations, best practices, and training modules for a variety of employees/stakeholders. We then conclude this section by discussing the all-important notion of medical decision making in Emergency Psychiatry.

**This content was captured at the 2021 APA Annual Meeting and may reference information from various sources and terminology from previous editions of the DSM.

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the need for Emergency Psychiatry knowledge base in both mental health settings, as well as traditional medical hospitals.
• Note how the principles of Emergency Psychiatry transcend one discipline and have many applications to physicians, regardless of locale.  
• Present how ER Psych 101 can assist in issues of medical clearance, stabilization, and resulting patient boarding issues.
• Educate on how ER Psych 101 can assist in complicated areas involving agitation and management of acuity.
• Summarize how ER Psych 101 can assist in many aspects of medical decision making, including suicide assessment, risk management, and dispositional planning.

Target Audience

Psychiatrists, Residents/Fellows

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 75 minutes
Begin Date: May 1, 2022
End Date: May 1, 2025

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the completion date and hours earned. 

Continuing Education Credit

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The APA designates this enduring CME activity for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

Program Presenters

• Tony Thrasher, D.O., D.F.A.P.A, Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Kimberly Nordstrom, M.D., Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Leslie Zun, M.D., M.B.A., Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Program Planners

• Jacqueline Maus Feldman, M.D., Chairperson, Scientific Program Committee, Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Robert O. Cotes, M.D., Vice-Chairperson, Scientific Program Committee, Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 
• Uchenna Okeye, M.D., Vice-Chairperson, Scientific Program Committee, Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 
• Katie Putnam, Membership Development Specialist, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Ally Brown, Associate Director, Online Learning, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance