The college student psychiatric emergency: II. Diagnosis and disposition.

Abstract

Abstract Student psychiatric emergencies are a cause of great concern on college campuses, and they merit further study. The authors elucidate some of the characteristics of 1,156 visits to a hospital psychiatric emergency department made by 933 students over an eight-year period. The diagnoses given to students in emergencies were found to be equally divided among psychosis, neurosis, personality disorder, and “other.” Only about 30% of the students' visits to the psychiatric emergency department resulted in admission to the hospital; the implications, for college mental health programs, of having 70% of psychiatric emergencies returned to campus is discussed. “Prevention of Acute Mountain Sickness by Dexamethasone,” T. Scott Johnson, et al. Acute mountain sickness is a syndrome that occurs when unacclimatized persons ascend rapidly to high altitudes. It is postulated that cerebral edema causes its symptoms. Since dexamethasone is useful in treating some forms of cerebral edema, we investigated its role ...