Dr Lorcan Martin spoke to the Irish Times on the issue of mental health crisis presentations in emergency departments.
Though speaking to the issue generally, the article focuses on the tragic death of 34-year-old Adam Loughnane in February, shortly after he left the University Hospital Galway emergency department.
Read the article in full on the Irish Times website, and read quotes from the article featuring Dr Martin below.
To reduce numbers attends EDs we need to “adequately resource community mental health teams” so interventions are accessible quickly, before reaching crisis, Martin says. And for those in crisis, EDs need “a separate section, with a mental health professional, where somebody can be quietly and promptly seen and triaged and moved away from the main hubbub. They need an environment that’s not over-stimulated, not competing with everything else. Somewhere just curtained off in ED is not sufficient.” Alternatively, Martin suggests separate psychiatric EDs, possibly located in less busy smaller hospitals.
“Your conventional ED really is no place for someone in a mental health crisis. […] It’s noisy, confusing, there can be long waits. It’s stressful for anyone. If you’re already distressed, or perhaps psychotic, it’s even more distressing.”
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