Emergency Psychiatry: A Critical Educational Omission
Authors: Michael P. Weissberg
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1991)

Editorials1 February 1991Emergency Psychiatry: A Critical Educational OmissionMichael P. Weissberg, MDMichael P. Weissberg, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-114-3-246 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptMurphy, in his classic study, concluded that no "person has contact with [so many] potentially suicidal individuals as does the physician" (1, 2). Murphy believed that the principal site for suicide prevention was the physician's office (1). In Murphy's study, internists were the specialists most commonly consulted by those who killed themselves (1, 2).It is now generally accepted that more persons with the full range of psychiatric emergencies are seen by non-psychiatrists than by psychiatrists (1-4). Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop emphasized that all physicians have the duty to care for these patients (5). When physicians fail in...References1. Murphy G. The physician's responsibility for suicide: an error of commission. Ann Intern Med. 1975;82:301-4. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Murphy G. The physician's responsibility for suicide II: errors of omission. Ann Intern Med. 1975;82:305-9. LinkGoogle Scholar3. MelchiodePuryearBabick GDM. The emergency room as a clerkship site. Am J Psychiatry. 1983;7:894-7. Google Scholar4. Weissberg M. Dangerous Secrets, Maladaptive Responses to Stress. New York: W. W. Norton and Co.; 1983:19-54. Google Scholar5. Koop C. Doctors announce campaign to combat domestic violence. Prepared press conference remarks, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Washington, DC, 3 January 1989 [Available from the Office of Public Information, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 409 12th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20024; 202-484-3321]. Google Scholar6. NakashimaZakus IG. Incestuous families. Pediatr Ann. 1979;8:300-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. MogielnickiMogielnickiChandlerWeissberg PNJM. Impending child abuse. JAMA. 1977;237:1109-11. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Weissberg M. The somatic complaint: a ticket of admission for child abusers. Prim Care. 1977;4:283-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Hilberman E. Overview: the "wife-beater's wife" reconsidered. Am J Psychiatry. 1980;137:1336-47. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Miller M. Geriatric suicide. Gerontologist. 1978;18:488-95. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. KempeSilvermanSteeleDroegemuellerSilver CFBWH. The battered-child syndrome. JAMA. 1962;181:4-11. CrossrefGoogle Scholar12. . Highlights of Official Aggregate Child Neglect and Abuse Reporting, Denver: American Humane Association; 1989. Google Scholar13. Finkelhor D. Stopping Family Violence. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications; 1988. Google Scholar14. GoldbergTomlanovich WM. Domestic violence victims in the emergency department. JAMA. 1984;25:3259-64. CrossrefGoogle Scholar15. Schwab J. Psychiatric illness in medical patients: why it goes undiagnosed. Psychosomatics. 1982;23:225-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. Weissberg M. The meagerness of physicians' training in emergency psychiatric intervention. Acad Med. 1990;65:747-50. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar17. . Directory of Graduate Medical Education Programs; 1987. Google Scholar18. Weissberg M. Emergency room medical clearance: an educational problem. Am J Psychiatry. 1979;136:787-90. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Colorado School of Medicine Denver, CO 80262 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByEmergency Department TreatmentEmergency Psychiatry Training for Third-Year Medical Students as Reported by Directors of Medical Student Education in PsychiatryResidency Training in Emergency Psychiatry 1 February 1991Volume 114, Issue 3Page: 246-247KeywordsPatientsSuicideSurgeons Issue Published: 1 February 1991 PDF DownloadLoading ...