Crisis intervention in psychiatric emergencies: Effectiveness and limitations

The Emergency Unit has developed a type of Crisis Intervention (C.I.), carried out by a team of researchers, psychiatrists and psychologists, for patients undergoing an acute psychological crisis who come to our Psychiatric First Aid Department. The aim of the intervention is to re-establish an emotional and relational balance, restoring to the patient the meaning of his difficulties by resolving the crisis situation, while fostering a maturational process in the patient. In addition to a clinical assessment, patients are subjected to a battery of tests. When necessary, they are also treated with psychotropic drugs. Follow-up is carried out at one, three, six, twelve and twenty-four months from the end of the therapy. From the preliminary data, it emerges that an important transformational component is obtained by means of a Crisis Intervention. This may be seen as a restructuring and refinement of the defence mechanisms habitually adopted by the subject in the majority of situations he considers difficult and a source of distress.