ABSTRACT
Child psychiatric emergencies are situations in which there is a potential threat to the safety or well-being of the child and family. Given the high rates of infectious diseases and poor nutrition in the developing world, many psychiatric emergencies are related to underlying general medical conditions and may occur in the form of acute organic brain syndromes. Acute organic brain syndromes often manifest with varying degrees of behavioral abnormalities, which may require urgent psychiatric intervention. The evaluation could also take place in a community setting, such as a school, primary healthcare clinic, or the juvenile justice system, as most children are unable to access specialized child psychiatry services. Agitation is a presentation common to many psychiatric conditions and is considered a psychiatric emergency. Generally in low-resource settings, child and adolescent psychiatric emergencies arise as a result of an exacerbation of a pre-existing psychiatric disorder, acute traumatic experiences, or from complications of a medical condition or treatment.
