The NSW Emergency Psychiatry Network.

Emergency Psychiatry is evolving. In an environment that lacks a clear evidence base, and where a constellation of factors is driving up Emergency Department presentation rates and lengths of stay, several stakeholders are working towards and clamouring for change. With the goal of collaborating with such parties, we believe Emergency Psychiatrists should position themselves to establish and advocate for best-practice change in culture, research, clinical care and training, and funding in the provision of mental health crisis care.

Presentations by ambulance under the NSW Mental Health Act to an emergency department with a 24-hour mental health team.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the presentations of patients by ambulance, under Section 20 of the NSW Mental Health Act of 2007, to a hospital emergency department (ED) with a 24-hour Mental Health Team.

Methods: Patient records between December 2013 and December 2014 were audited and analysed in Excel.

Results: There were 47 such presentations: 51% required a mental health admission.

Hyperprolactinaemia during treatment with paliperidone.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to highlight the association between antipsychotic medication, in this instance paliperidone, and hyperprolactinaemia, and discuss the impact of this adverse effect on patient management.

Method: Four patients with paliperidone-induced hyperprolactinaemia are described with a brief review of the literature.

Results: Four female patients aged between 20 and 50 years developed hyperprolactinaemia 3 weeks to 4 months after commencement of treatment with paliperidone.