One hundred psychiatric patients seen for the first time on a private basis received a research interview that allowed a study of demographic and clinical characteristics. Eighty-five had a discrete psychiatric disorder and fifty were suffering affective disorders. Most sought psychiatric attention because of a situation defined as an emergency, and a large number were hospitalized at the time of the first interview. Most of the patients made six or more office visits within the ensuing eighteen to twenty-four months. Males were largely represented among patients who sought emergency treatment, had an initial hospitalization, and received longer office treatment.
Adult Emergencies