[Treatment indications in psychiatric emergencies].

6 investigators of a "Psychiatric Emergency Service" recorded 299 outpatient emergency cases which required immediate involuntary admission in accordance with a new Hamburg Civil Law. To identify the factors exercising an influence on the indication for involuntary admission, the 299 interventions were compared resulting in outpatient treatment (n = 93) vs. voluntary admission (n = 84) vs. involuntary admission (n = 122). It was shown that the factors "diagnosis", "hazard", and, in particular, the interaction between patient and emergency physician, mainly determine the indication. The interactions of these factors are differentiated in detail, with respect to age, sex, and social factors.