Deciding when to order neuroimaging for psychiatric inpatients can be a complex decision. In the past, many inpatient units ordered these tests as a routine measure. However, unnecessary tests can drive up costs and lead to benign but distracting findings. This fact sheet serves as a quick guide to help you decide which neuroimaging tests might be appropriate for your psychiatric inpatients.

This fact sheet focuses on the non-antipsychotic mood stabilizers—meaning lithium, valproic acid, lamotrigine, carbamazepine, and oxcarbazepine. The antipsychotics, most of which are effective for bipolar disorder, are covered in their own chapter. It also includes anticonvulsants that may not be particularly useful in treating bipolar but may be used from time to time in psychiatric practice.

Psychiatric technicians, also known as mental health aides or specialists, are unsung but vital members of the mental health care team.

It's not uncommon to encounter pregnant patients in a general adult psychiatric unit. Providing comprehensive care to these patients requires a solid understanding of the obstetric care needed at different stages of pregnancy, along with vigilance for potential complications. Here we review the basics of prenatal care, with emphasis on aspects that are particularly relevant in psychiatric settings.

The discharge summary serves as a detailed and comprehensive review of a patient's hospital stay, treatment received, and plans for outpatient care or follow-up. Many electronic health record (EHR) softwares have automatic functions for creating discharge summaries from existing data in the patient’s record. While this saves time, it often results in excessively long discharge summaries that are difficult for clinicians to read quickly. This fact sheet outlines what we consider best practices for writing discharge summaries for psychiatric inpatients. The goal is to create a concise document that you would want to read to quickly learn about a new patient that you are admitting.

You’ll frequently encounter cases of hyperlipidemia among your patients on the psychiatric unit. Individuals with chronic mental illnesses are at a higher risk due to poor dietary habits, inadequate health care follow-up, smoking and lack of physical exercise. Their use of antipsychotic medications further exacerbates the risk. In this section we outline interventions you can implement directly on the psychiatric unit and provide guidance on when to involve a primary care physician or cardiologist.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when stomach acid flows back into the esophagus and causes irritation. You will likely encounter this condition among patients with psychiatric disorders because two major risk factors – smoking and obesity – are prevalent in this population. Additionally, many of the medications we prescribe tend to relax the lower esophageal sphincter, like antipsychotic medications with anticholinergic properties, and benzodiazepines due to their muscle relaxant effects. Here's a guide to help you recognize and treat GERD.

When you manage pain in inpatient psychiatric settings, you will face unique challenges, including the risk drug interactions, the potential for substance misuse, and the worry that inadequately managed pain will exacerbate psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety. This guide outlines strategies for managing varying degrees of pain in psychiatric inpatients. Be sure to collaborate with pain specialists, nurses, and physical therapists for the best outcomes.

Hospital notes are often filled with acronyms and abbreviations that clinicians use to save time. When specialists from other departments consult on your patients, you might find yourself stumped by unfamiliar abbreviations. This guide provides explanations for some of the most common acronyms and abbreviations found in hospital records.

Depending on your temperament, you may find team meetings a chore or a delight. Regardless, they are a fact of life on any inpatient psychiatric unit. There are two primary meeting types: Morning report, focusing on immediate patient needs and updates, and Interdisciplinary Treatment Plan (ITP) meetings, which involve detailed, structured discussions on long-term patient management.