Psychiatric emergency services are recognized as an essential component in the provision of mental health care . This study describes the delivery of psychiatric emergency services in selected Oregon comm.unities. The theoretical framework was developed to consider the problem of psychiatric emergency service · deli~ery from the perspective of the individual experiencing the emergency, the social milieu, and the health 2 care system. The literature describing psychiatric emergency service programs, the characteristics of those who use these services and the roles of direct service providers was reviewed. On the basis of the review a · study was undertaken to describe the delivery of psychiatric emergency services in selected Oregon counties, to identify variables that determine the nature of psychiatric emergency services provided and to develop recommendations for existing psychiatric emergency services.Data was collected from the major public agencies providing psychiatric emergency services in each of the five counties chosen for study. These agencies included general hospital emergency rooms, mental health clinics, law enforcement agencies, and hot lines. Three research tools were developed to study these agencies. A description of the psychiatric emergency services offered by each agency was obtained using a structured interview. Client data was collected using a retrospective chart search of a random sample of clients who were seen at each agency. The third research tool was used to elicit the opinions held by direct service providers about the effectiveness of the psychiatric emergency service delivery system.The results of .the study determined the volume of services received by persons in a psychiatric emergency. This does not appear to be related to the staffing pattern or the level of training of persons delivering psychiatric emergency services. The results also showed that non-mental health personnel provide substantial amounts of service to persons in a psychiatric emergency situation, without the provision of specialized training or professional mental health back-up. T~e opinions shared by direct service providers about the delivery of psychia-3 tric emergency services suggest that service providers are not aware of the amount of service provided by other agencies in the same community.The researchers concluded that there are gaps in psychiatric emergency services available within communities and that particular types of agencies consistently give certain .services. Another conclusion is that there is no 24-hour information and referral service that provides information concerning the availability of psychiatric emergency resources. When referrals are made by direct service providers, they are most o~en made to facilities providing inpatient care or outpatient therapy. It was noted that each agency utilizes a different method of evaluation and record keeping for psychiatric emergencies.The last conclusion of the research was that the majority of direct service providers studied feel that communit...