Possible questions:
•‘ This must be distressing for you. Can you tell me what is happening?’
•‘ I can see that you are very anxious. Do you feel safe?’
•‘ I can see that you are angry. Can you tell me why?’
•‘ Are your thoughts making sense to you?’
•‘ Are you taking any medication?’
Conversation and mood
• What language is being spoken?
• Is an interpreter needed?
Conversation How is the patient talking? Does their conversation make sense?
• Is it rapid, repetitive, slow or uninterruptible, or are they mute?
• Are they speaking loudly, quietly or whispering?
• Are they speaking clearly or slurring?
• Are they speaking with anger?
• Are they using obscene language?
• Do they stop in the middle of a sentence?
• Do you think the patient’ s speech is being interrupted because they are hearing voices?
• Do they know what day and time it is and how they got to the ED?
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Mood How does the patient describe their mood? Do they say they feel:
• Down, worthless, depressed or sad?
• Angry or irritable?
• Anxious, fearful or scared?
• Sad, really happy or high?
• Like they cannot stop crying all the time?
What do you think is the risk of suicide / homicide?
For example, does the patient tell you that they are thinking about suicide, wanting to hurt others, worrying about what people think about them, worrying that their thoughts don’ t make sense, afraid that they are losing control, feeling that something dreadful is going to happen to them, and / or feeling unable to cope with everything that has happened to them lately in relation to recent stressors?
Possible questions:
•‘ Do you feel hopeless about everything?’
•‘ Do you feel that someone or something is making you think these things?’
•‘ Are you being told to harm yourself and / or others?’
•‘ Do you feel that life is not worth living?’
Department of Health and Ageing – Emergency Triage Education Kit