Stress: A pervasive dilemma in psychiatric emergency care

Abstract

This paper (1) identifies a number of broad social-situational forces which have had stress producing impact upon the treatment climate and procedures of the psychiatric emergency setting, (2) describes several of the major effects of these factors both on patients and on the emergency unit, (3) applies a person-environment fit (or "mis-fit") perspective in conceptualizing the stress-related problems illustrated by examination of the repeating patient as a high mis-fit group and (4) suggests several recomedations to help increase the "goodness of fit" between the needs, motives and resources of the patient and of the emergency unit and staff.