Title: Referral
Course: Non-Communicable Diseases, Emergency Care and Mental Health Part 2 - Ethiopia (Full)

Referral

People with acute psychoses, or acute organic psychoses, or suffering a psychotic relapse, should be referred urgently.

If, following assessment, you think that a person may be suffering from one of the psychotic illnesses detailed above, you should consider referral to a health centre or the nearest institution with mental health specialists. Using the criteria outlined in Table 13.1, decide whether the person needs referring and whether this is an urgent or non-urgent referral. People with acute psychoses or acute organic psychoses, or suffering a psychotic relapse, should be referred urgently. For such emergency cases, you should arrange immediate transport to a higher health facility, either taking them yourself or arranging for others to do so. For less urgent cases, you can use the regular referral route.

Table 13.1 Criteria for urgent or non-urgent referral for psychoses.

Urgent referral | Non-urgent referral
If you think a person may be suffering from acute psychosis | If a person has chronic psychosis (organic or non-organic) or recurrent psychosis
For a person with acute organic psychosis | If there is non-compliance with treatment
If there are signs of relapse or if there are complications from treatment (see also Study Session 11) | Failure of treatment