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NEWS EXTRA: Debashis Singh Ninety nine per cent of emergency consultants report abuse by drunk patients BMJ 2003; 327: 1250-e [Full text]

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Adolescent Alcohol Use - the Hidden Hangover

Francis O Labinjo   (1 December 2003)

pleasure overheat proffessionals

Calin Ghe Gheorghiu   (3 December 2003)

Adolescent Alcohol Use - the Hidden Hangover 1 December 2003
Francis O Labinjo, acting Consultant Psychiatrist in Substance Misuse Medway Addiction Service 4 Manor Road Chatham Kent ME4 6AG Send response to journal: Re: Adolescent Alcohol Use - the Hidden Hangover	Debashis Singh's paper is quite alarming. However, drunken patients in Casualty are only one aspect of what has the potential to become a major public health challenge. Our service is now seeing adolescent alcohol dependency clients whose problems are sufficiently important as to need in- patient detoxification facilities, but such facilities being notorious by their scarcity. Adolescents with substance misuse disorders, including alcohol, are known to have high rates of coexisting psychiatric disorders (2)and in particular, depression (3) and its implications for suicidal risk. A good number will grow to assault health care staff working in Accident & Emergency. (1)Debashis Singh.Ninety nine per cent of emergency consultants report abuse by drunk patients. BMJ 2003; 327: 1250-e-0-e (2) Kandel DB, Johnson JG, Bird HR, Weissman MM, Goodman SH, Lahey BB, Regier DA, Schwab-Stone ME Psychiatric Comorbidity Among Adolescents with Substance Misuse Disorder: Findings from the MECA Study. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 1999, 38(6): 693-699; (3) Rohde P, Lewinsohn PM, Seeley JR. Comorbidity of unipolar depression, II:comorbidity with other mental disorders in adolescents and adults. J Abnorm Psychol 1991, 100:214-222 Competing interests: None declared
pleasure overheat proffessionals 3 December 2003
Calin Ghe Gheorghiu, aed consultant AED Alba County Hosp,RO Send response to journal: Re: pleasure overheat proffessionals	A realistic article that points a cruel thing that every patient who was admitted on a "hot" Saturday night has had to be acommodated in a crowded AED. Doctors and nurses always protect the weakest and silent patients who suffer ain with dignity, but is society grownup to protect and recognize this specific task only seen in multitask environment as from AED? Only in war you are so near to the opposite feelings: protect the life of a person and rapid response to direct aggression. "Bacchus" must pay the bill to the silent patients and the medical staff who try to protect him from making something bad with his life. Every country has 52 Saturday nights. Competing interests: None declared