Introduction: Acute Care of the Agitated Psychotic Patient

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This supplement is the result of a meeting of leaders of the emergency psychiatry community that focused on the emergency and acute management of individuals with a variety of disorders presenting with the complex behavioral disturbances characterized as agitation. The intent of this meeting was to review the existing literature and current practice in light of recent changes in technology and practice settings with the goal of establishing a common evidence base ultimately leading to a consensus guideline. As participants noted, first-line treatments for virtually all the major conditions contributing to behavioral emergencies have changed significantly with the advent of atypical antipsychotics and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and the introduction of anticonvulsants into psychiatric practice.’ ‹