---
title: "Psych News Alert: Treating Agitation in Emergency Room Requires Delicate Balancing Act"
description: Verbal de-escalation should take precedence over use of medication or seclusion and restraint when psychiatrists and other emergency departm...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/emergency%20sign_1994525-Jun-24-2025-10-27-18-3292-PM.jpg
---

 1/4/12 12:00 AM

# Treating Agitation in Emergency Room Requires Delicate Balancing Act

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/treating-agitation-in-emergency-room.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/treating-agitation-in-emergency-room.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/treating-agitation-in-emergency-room.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/treating-agitation-in-emergency-room.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/treating-agitation-in-emergency-room.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/emergency%20sign_1994525-Jun-24-2025-10-27-17-1855-PM.jpg?width=200&height=133&name=emergency%20sign_1994525-Jun-24-2025-10-27-17-1855-PM.jpg)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/emergency%20sign_1994525-Jun-24-2025-10-27-16-2472-PM.jpg) 

Verbal de-escalation should take precedence over use of medication or seclusion and restraint when psychiatrists and other emergency department staff have to intervene with a severely agitated patient, emphasizes Garland Holloman, M.D., director of emergency psychiatric services at the University of Mississippi. Holloman headed an American Association for Emergency Psychiatry panel that developed guidelines that describe best practices in evaluating and treating agitation in the emergency department. Speaking at APA's Institute on Psychiatric Services, he pointed out that using less-physical methods to help patients regain control increases their trust and cooperation, improving the outlook for future treatment.

Read more about treating agitation in the emergency department in [Psychiatric News](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=181069) and in the [Clinical Manual of Emergency Psychiatry](http://www.appi.org/SearchCenter/Pages/SearchDetail.aspx?ItemId=62295) from American Psychiatric Publishing.

(Image: Stephen Finn/shutterstock.com)

[seclusion and restraint](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/seclusion-and-restraint), [agitation](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/agitation), [emergency room](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/emergency-room), [emergency department](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/emergency-department)

## Related posts

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/emergency_iStock_538726573-Jun-24-2025-10-40-12-4826-PM.jpg?height=200&name=emergency_iStock_538726573-Jun-24-2025-10-40-12-4826-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/07/planning-around-patient-strengths-can.html)

[inpatient admissions](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/inpatient-admissions), [PROTECT framework](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/protect-framework), [hospital length of stay](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/hospital-length-of-stay), [emergency department](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/emergency-department), [Psychiatric Services](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-services), [safety planning](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/safety-planning)

## [Planning Around Patient Strengths Can Reduce Emergency Department Stays for Psychiatric Problems](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/07/planning-around-patient-strengths-can.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 7/11/22 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/07/planning-around-patient-strengths-can.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/emergency_iStock_000058321222_Small-Jun-24-2025-06-25-08-3974-PM.jpg?height=200&name=emergency_iStock_000058321222_Small-Jun-24-2025-06-25-08-3974-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/03/many-preteens-who-come-to-ed-are-at.html)

[suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide), [suicidal ideation](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicidal-ideation), [suicide attempt](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-attempt), [emergency department](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/emergency-department)

## [Many Preteens Who Come to ED Are at Risk of Suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/03/many-preteens-who-come-to-ed-are-at.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 3/11/19 12:00 AM

About 30 percent of preteens aged 10 to 12 who come to the emergency department (ED) screened...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/03/many-preteens-who-come-to-ed-are-at.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/emergency%20sign%20arrow_106018745-Jun-24-2025-05-25-11-8862-PM.jpg?height=200&name=emergency%20sign%20arrow_106018745-Jun-24-2025-05-25-11-8862-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/01/four-simple-questions-identify-youth-at.html)

[emergency department](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/emergency-department), [suicide screening](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-screening), [emergency psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/emergency-psychiatry), [youth suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/youth-suicide)

## [Four Simple Questions Identify Youth at Risk of Suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/01/four-simple-questions-identify-youth-at.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 1/8/13 12:00 AM

Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) are reporting that a set of four...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/01/four-simple-questions-identify-youth-at.html)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert",
    "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T22:28:10.542Z",
  "datePublished" : "2012-01-04T05:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Psych News Alert: Treating Agitation in Emergency Room Requires Delicate Balancing Act",
  "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/emergency%20sign_1994525-Jun-24-2025-10-27-18-3292-PM.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/treating-agitation-in-emergency-room.html",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg"
    }
  }
}
```