Evaluation of the risk assessment matrix: a mental health triage tool.

Background: The Risk Assessment Matrix (RAM) is a mental health triage tool designed to assist emergency department (ED) staff to make rapid and accurate assessment of a patient with a suspected or actual mental health problem, and to identify patients at immediate risk of self-harm. A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this triage tool.

Methods: Using a naturalistic retrospective study design, all patients attending the ED with an actual or suspected mental health problem over a 2-month period were identified to determine if any association existed with the level of risk ascertained at assessment by ED staff using the RAM and the patient's final outcome of their management.

Predictions and associations of fatigue syndromes and mood disorders that occur after infectious mononucleosis.

Background: Certain infections can trigger chronic fatigue syndromes (CFS) in a minority of people infected, but the reason is unknown. We describe some factors that predict or are associated with prolonged fatigue after infectious mononucleosis and contrast these factors with those that predicted mood disorders after the same infection.

Methods: We prospectively studied a cohort of 250 primary-care patients with infectious mononucleosis or ordinary upper-respiratory-tract infections until 6 months after clinical onset.

The effect of social adversity on the fatigue syndrome, psychiatric disorders and physical recovery, following glandular fever.

Two hundred and fifty patients attending primary care with glandular fever or an upper respiratory tract infection were studied prospectively up to 6 months after onset. Of these patients 228 were interviewed with the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schzophrenia, giving Research Diagnostic Criteria for psychiatric disorders. The experience of severe social adversity (provoking agents) had a significant association with psychiatric disorder at 2 months (odds ratio = 5.