THE BRIEF ADMISSION UNIT IN EMERGENCY PSYCHIATRY

The study evaluates a Brief Admission Unit for clients of an emergency service located within a comprehensive community psychiatric program. Eighty-five clients completed the Brief Symptom inventory and a struc tured interview. Substance abuse disorder (n = 29) and major depressio n (n = 24) were the most common Axis I diagnoses. of which 30 subjects had two or more. Sixty subjects had an Axis II diagnosis. Mean durati on of admission was 3.9 days. compared with the average in other acute units of 11.5 days. At discharge, half the subjects were rated as mod erately to greatly improved and client satisfaction was high. The unit was crucial to the psychiatric emergency service and had a key role i n relieving pressure on beds elsewhere within the system. (C) 1997 Joh n Wiley & Sons, Inc.