Overdose and toxicology for psychiatrists

Meet the patient

A 34-year-old woman is brought in "found down" at home, drowsy, surrounded by empty blister packs of amitriptyline, paracetamol and her mother's lithium. No one can time the ingestion. The ED registrar pages you for "psych clearance."

Why the examiner cares. Poisonings account for up to 10% of admissions to intensive care units; most patients recover with supportive care alone, but a significant proportion need targeted interventions and organ support.^[18] About 30% of poison exposures reported to poison centres are referred to or begin within a health care facility.^[16]

References17ShowHide

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