Verbal de-escalation techniques have been shown to decrease agitation and reduce the potential for associated violence in the emergency setting .
OBJECTIVE To present the essential guidelines for non-pharmacological management of patients with psychomotor agitation in Brazil .
[Psychiatric emergency service in a university general hospital: a prospective study].
OBJECTIVES The aim was to carry out a prospect i ve study about the characteristics of the public seen at a psychiatric emergency room  and of its service . METHODS The data were acquired though a protocol developed for this study and applied to all the patients seen during two months . RESULTS 600 protocol s were filled out , corresponding to 96.5 % ( 487 patients ) of the attendance during the study period . Most of the patients seen were males , single , with a low educational level , professionally inactive and living with their families . The most frequent diagnoses were psychoactive substance use disorders ( 26.3 % ) , schizophrenia ( 15.5 % ) , manic episode ( 11.8 % ) , major depression ( 10.9 % ) and non-psychotic disorders ( 10.9 % ) . There were differences between gender in some diagnostic categories . After initial evaluation , 2/3 were medicated , ( 1/2 ) stayed under observation , and ( 1/4 ) stayed more than 10 hours in the service unit . About 20 % of the attendance result ed in hospitalization and 60 % in referrals to outpatient services . Discharges due to evasion represented only 2.0 % of the total . Returning service users did not differ from those seen only once to what concern marital status , professional situation and household conditions . However , returning users presented a higher frequency of previous hospitalization and psychotic disorders . CONCLUSIONS Individuals with severe psychiatric disorders were seen in an actual emergency situation . The psychiatric emergency service has been exp and ing its actions and has been an effective part of the mental health service network
Verbal de-escalation techniques have been shown to decrease agitation and reduce the potential for associated violence in the emergency setting .
OBJECTIVE To present the essential guidelines for non-pharmacological management of patients with psychomotor agitation in Brazil .