CHRONIC CRISIS OR EMERGENCYS REPETITION

The authors have studied the characteristics of a group of chronic cri sis patients among those who were treated in the psychiatric emergency unit of Rene-Dubos General Hospital (Pontoise, France). The populatio n was defined as patients who visited the unit four times or more duri ng one year (from 01/07/1991 to 30/06/1992). These 70 patients represe nt 4.3% of the total number of individuals who were treated in the eme rgency setting during the same year. 1568 patients were treated as out patients, or hospitalized for a short time, not exceeding 48 hours). Two sub groups can be distinguished. The first one is composed of pati ents who repeat their visits during a total period of less than 3 mont hs. The second sub group is composed of repeaters who are seen regular ly but for a longer period of time. The socio demographic and clinical characteristics (DSM-III R) of the two sub groups are discussed.