While we do our best to prevent inpatients from injuring themselves on the unit, it is impossible to prevent very determined self-destructive patients from engaging in certain common self-injurious behaviors. When they occur, you will likely get a medicine consult to help with management, but you should also understand the basic evaluation and medical management of these common self-injuries. (Also see accompanying fact sheet on psychiatric management of self-injurious behaviors).

You'll often work with patients who are part of the LGBTQ community. To make sure your care is informed and supportive, keep these points in mind:

Introduction: Outbreaks of lice and scabies are unfortunately not unusual in congregate settings like psychiatric units. Given how easily these parasites can spread, swift identification and treatment are critical. Diagnosis Lice ● Visual Inspection: a thorough examination of the hai

Introduction: Cross-cultural factors can shape how patients express symptoms, convey needs, and adhere to treatment. Here we review common cross-cultural issues and tips to keep in mind when you work with patients of diverse backgrounds. At the same time, beware of stereotyping cultural groups; each patient has a unique cultural and personal perspective.

Introduction: Severe anorexia can lead to life-threatening complications. If you are not able to convince your patient to eat voluntarily, you may have to initiate forced refeeding.

Introduction: Catatonia is a syndrome marked by an apparent lack of responsiveness to external stimuli, despite the individual appearing to be awake. While it’s often linked with schizophrenia, you’ll also see catatonia among patients with depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and brief psychotic episodes.

Key tasks: Assess glycemic control and adherence to diabetes treatment; educate patient about need for glycemic control and risks of long term complications; assess whether psych meds are worsening diabetes and causing weight gain.

Dementia patients often exhibit symptoms like agitation, aggression, wandering, psychosis, depression, and anxiety – collectively referred to as BPSD. While therapeutic approaches like art and music therapy can be highly effective, you’ll sometimes need to prescribe medications to ensure safety. Here we'll delve into your pharmaceutical options. Start low, increase doses as needed / tolerated, and monitor closely for side effects.

Introduction. Huntington's Disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder. This disease occurs due to an abnormality in the HTT gene located on chromosome 4, specifically, the repetition of a particular sequence of DNA, known as CAG repeats, more times than normal. This genetic mutation leads to the symptoms associated with Huntington's Disease. If a patient has a parent with the condition, their risk of inheriting the disease is 50%. There’s no cure, but supportive care helps manage symptoms.

Introduction: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) can be severely debilitating, with some individuals’ lives becoming consumed by their compulsions. Their response to treatment can be frustratingly slow, but the advantage of inpatient units is the opportunity for intensive daily treatment, which can accelerate this improvement.