Purpose: Our study examines the frequency and further characteristics of psychiatric emergencies in the ambulance service of doctors on call in the city of Hamm.
Methods/patients: All emergency documentations of the year 2000 were retrospectively examined and evaluated with regard to psychiatric disorders according to the ICD-10. In Hamm (181, 197 inhabitants) there were 3812 emergency calls for doctors on call in the examined period.
Results: Due to internal emergencies, psychiatric diseases were diagnosed twice as often. Alcoholic intoxications (32.8 %), suicide attempts (16.8 %) and alcoholic withdrawal-syndromes were mostly diagnosed in psychiatric emergencies. Most patients were male. The average age was 41.7 years.
Conclusions: In the education for doctors on call, the training in the subject psychiatry is very low. Therefore the education and training of the diagnostic and therapy of psychiatric disorders must be intensified in the acquiring of the certification for ambulance service. acquiring