Time study of psychiatric emergency service evaluations

The emergency room is the interface between community and health care institution. Whether through outreach or in-hospital service, the psychiatrist in the general hospital must have specialized skill and knowledge to attend the increased numbers of mentally ill, substance abusers, homeless individuals, and those with greater acuity and comorbidity than previously known. This Special Section will address those overlapping aspects of psychiatry, medicine, neurology, psychopharmacology and psychology of essential interest to the psychiatrist who provides emergency consultation and treatment to the general hospital population.