On April 2, 2015, four patients were evaluated at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson, Mississippi, for agitated delirium after using synthetic cannabinoids. Over the next 3 days, 24 additional persons went to UMMC with illnesses suspected to be related to synthetic cannabinoid use; one patient died. UMMC notified the Mississippi State Department of Health, which issued a statewide alert via the Health Alert Network on April 5, requesting that health care providers report suspected cases of synthetic cannabinoid intoxication to the Mississippi Poison Control Center (MPCC). A suspected case was defined as the occurrence of at least two of the following symptoms: sweating, severe agitation, or psychosis in a person with known or suspected synthetic cannabinoid use. A second statewide alert was issued on April 13, instructing all Mississippi emergency departments to submit line lists of suspected patients to MPCC each day. By April 21, 16 days after the first alert was issued, MPCC had received reports of approximately 400 cases, including eight deaths possibly linked to synthetic cannabinoid use; in contrast, during April 2012–March 2015, the median number of telephone calls to MPCC regarding synthetic cannabinoid use was one per month (range = 0–11). The Mississippi State Department of Health, with the assistance of CDC, initiated an investigation to better characterize the outbreak, identify risk factors associated with severe illness, and prevent additional illnesses and deaths.

Children who sustain injuries are at-risk for experiencing traumatic stress reactions. Few studies have obtained detailed, qualitative information regarding children's and parents’ own understanding of their experiences during the peri-trauma period. Understanding children's injury and early hospital experiences is crucial to inform the development of early interventions during the peri-trauma period, which speak to these concerns. The primary purpose of this study was to understand child and parent views of the stressors experienced by children hospitalized for an injury. A secondary aim was to identify children's feelings and thoughts about injury and hospital-related stressors. Ten children and their parents participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded. Stressors were classified into five domains: procedural concerns, uncertainty, sleep and nutrition challenges, being confined to the hospital, and home preparation. Children and parents were more likely to articulate feelings about stressors than thoughts about stressors. Feelings reported by children and parents were predominantly negative. Children and parents may have an easier time expressing feelings than thoughts, which has implications for communicating with medical teams as well as for psychological treatment. Future research should examine how children's perceptions of their injury and hospital-related experiences relate to later outcomes such as traumatic stress reactions.

A community oriented Crisis Unit was introduced in a mental hospital as an integral part of a comprehensive Clinical Service. The unit is doing crisis assessment and intervention for patients referred to this Clinical Service and a 72-hour inpatient or day-care crisis oriented therapy. The locale, the organization of the team and the work of the unit are described. Data are given regarding the number of patients seen during the first six months, of those admitted and of those discharged within 72 hours or transferred to another unit of the service. Additional data referring to the patients admitted to the Crisis Unit and during a corresponding six-month period of the previous year when the Unit was not operating are also given. The reduction of the inpatient population of the service and the associated financial savings are outlined. The management of the Unit on an open-door policy is described. The impact of the Unit on the treatment programs of the other units of the service is discussed. It is suggested that crisis therapy oriented units should be considered an essential and integral component of the psychiatric services offered by mental or general hospitals. Comparative studies of patient populations before and after the introduction of such units and long-term follow-up evaluative studies are required.