What happens in the ER to someone who brought themself there because they were struggling with mental illness?

Question

What is the procedure?
If the person has never been treated or seen a professional before, will the person be treated / assessed for treatment or will the hospital just try to pont the person in the right direction?
Will there be any kind of physical exam?
Are there special doctors standing by for mental patients or will the person be seen by a regular doctor?
Will the person be taken seriously if they have not hurt themselves yet, or will they be neglected and turned away?
Is going to the ER too extreme of an action to take?
What advise can you give someone who has difficulty talking about their struggle and explaining what is wrong?
Is it better to go alone or have someone take you (like a significant other)?

Answer 1

OK, I can tell you about when I went, and about 2 different hospitals.

Procedures vary, but you can expect to be interviewed by either a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or a psychiatric resident; possibly some other type of mental health professional.

If you are not, or do not appear to be, injured, you can expect no more that your temperature, blood pressure, and pulse to be taken. They will ask if you've tried to hurt yourself, taken any medications or street drugs, and whether you're experiencing any physical problems. If so, they'll attend to them.

No one will be turned away--they take every case seriously! The ER is not too extreme, in fact, it's an excellent starting point.

The interviewers are good at finding out what you have trouble talking about; they do this every day. Very often, you know something's wrong but can't put it into words--this is common, too.

If your significant other or someone is supportive, by all means have them take you. If your problem is that they're abusive, obviously go without them.

What happens next varies by hospital and whatever your interview was about. Some ER's are holding points until a bed in a mental hospital is available. Some hospitals have mental wards, and you'll be admitted like for anything else. It's also possible that you'll have a future appointment set up and be sent home, with or without some medication depending on your immediate situation.

By all means, go! I wish I hadn't waited as long as I did. Good luck and God bless you!

Answer 2

Talk to your family physician first. There is a definite protocol that is followed when determining if a mental illness requires hospitalization.

Your physician will ask you questions to assess both your physical and mental status. Sometimes there is an underlying physical cause for a mental disorder.

Your doctor can also refer you to a mental health professional that can determine the best course of treatment for you.

If you go to the emergency room, you will be assessed the same way. The number one question you will be asked is are you suicidal? If so, you will most likely be asked to sign yourself in voluntarily, be placed in the mental ward and placed on suicide watch.

If you are not delusional, a threat to yourself or anyone else, you will probably be referred to a psychiatrist for follow up care and treatment.

If you do opt to go to the emergency room, please bring an advocate with you. Be very careful of what you do here, a mental disorder can effect your life in many different ways that you haven't even thought of. Even your ability to get life insurance.

Good luck to you.

Answer 3

If you're having thoughts of harming yourself or someone else right now, the ER is a good place to go. They will have you admitted to the psychiatric ward of the hospital and you will stay there until you're stabilized on meds. If you're not having these thoughts, it's alright. If you don't have a primary care physician (your regular doctor), go to the ER. Maybe they can write some prescriptions for you and give you the names/addresses of Psychiatrists that you can see in the near future. Good luck.

Answer 4

Speaking from experience, when you go in to the ER, they ask what is wrong and if you have thought of suicide etc. Then they find you someone qualified to talk with you. They may talk with you and let you go home, or they may set up some sort of counseling sessions for you to attend at a later date. If you are really upset and they feel you may harm yourself, they will admit you to the hospital for observation. My advice is to get into some sort of group counseling. I am not one to talk in front of people or to tell people what is wrong, but I found it easier to talk in a group than one on one with a counselor. You find in a group setting that others have the same struggles as you do and you can get support from them in dealing with these things. It is hard to do at first but it gets easier with time.

Answer 5

The E.R. will most likely have the person call the 1-800 # on their insurance card for mental health problems. If they don't have insurance, they will be assessed by an emergency room physician.

Answer 6

in case you sense such as you like help then going to the ER isn't too intense. risk is they might have a psychiatrist or psychologist verify you and then aid you to verify on what to do next. don't sense ashamed to tell somebody what's rather incorrect, in case you carry it in this is going to easily worsen. i understand this because of the fact I held each little thing in for years and approximately 6 months in the past all of it culminated and that i had one super breakdown. i'm getting help now, although this is not common and it rather is a protracted highway. good success.

Answer 7

First of all, an E.R. is not the place to go. An appointment should be made with a professional in the field of psychology.

Answer 8

you will not be turned away= if you are straight forward with them ,they will help you =be forewarned that you will most likely be sent to a mental hospital=they are a lot nicer there as they know exactly how to help you