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KMID : 1023220200100010003
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Mental Health
2020 Volume.10 No. 1 p.3 ~ p.3
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An Existing Condition Survey on Psychiatric Emergency Response from Basic Mental Health Welfare Centers in Seoul
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Kim Eun-Hee
Ahn H.-K.
Kim K.-A.
Kim H.-M.
Cho E.-J.
Lee Seung-Yeon
Lee Hae-Woo
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Abstract
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Objective: This existing condition survey is to identify and analyze the current status in the process of finding, on-site response, and action support at basic mental health welfare centers located in 25 boroughs in Seoul. Therefore, it is intended to be used as basic data for establishing a safety net for psychiatric emergency in the city of Seoul, which would secure a continuity of treatments.
Methods: The process and type of the psychiatric emergency occurred during weekdays were classified into 6 areas psychiatric emergency response service, dispatch request for psychiatric emergency on-site response and the evaluation of psychiatric emergency psychological medicine service community network and institutional support, legal protection and support for practitioners. Based on such a classification, a questionnaire on mental emergency response was created and conducted twice for the basic mental health welfare centers as an existing condition survey. A representative was selected among the practitioners to play an equivalent role as an executive team leader at basic mental health welfare centers. His or her task was to investigate the ‘1st existing condition survey on the psychiatric emergency response conducted by a borough as of 2019’ from April 24, 2020 to May 8, 2020. After then, an in-depth questionnaire was created based on results of the first existing condition survey and the ‘2nd existing condition survey for appropriate measures and the continuity of treatments in response to the psychiatric emergency’ was conducted from July 2, 2020 to July 8, 2020.
Results: As of 2019, the total number of requests to the Basic Mental Health and Welfare Center for the psychiatric emergency responses is 1,259, and the number of on-site response is 1,204 (96%), and in most cases, on-site response is performed. For the on-site response, the number of unregistered subjects is significantly higher, with 80.2% (966) cases unregistered and 19.7% (238) registered subjects. However, the degree to which the subjects are transferred to the psychiatric system after the on-site response is lower for the unregistered than for the registered (61% of registered subjects, 42% of unregistered subjects). The number of on-site response to the psychiatric emergency is at least 13 cases and a maximum of 95 cases at each borough, which show a large variation. By region, the southwestern region (332 cases) and the northeastern region (316 cases) show a higher frequency than the northwestern region (280 cases) and the southeastern region (276 cases). Although it is decided that psychiatric measures are necessary for the on-site response, only 52.7% of cases are taken appropriately. The major reasons are in order of the lack of hospital beds due to the number of patients with overlapping physical diseases, the way that the hospitalization is managed (88%), and the low level of cooperation among the associated organizations (76%).
Conclusion: Although a community psychiatric emergency system is essential to be established and invigorated for the continuity of treatments for severe mental illness, the level of the psychiatric emergency system in Seoul is limited and still quite passive. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare alternatives for the city of Seoul, which include the perform range of individual institutions and practitioners. In addition, considering the limitations of the current study that the data is collected in Seoul during the daytime on weekdays, a survey on the existing condition of the psychiatric emergency response should be conducted for 24 hours in the further studies.
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KEYWORD
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Psychiatric Emergency, Mental Health Welfare Center
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FullTexts / Linksout information
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Listed journal information
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