Understanding Agitation

Everyone feels antsy, fidgety, or restless from time to time. But some people develop a more severe form of uneasiness called agitation. They may pace, wring their hands, or feel that they can’t sit still or focus. People living with mood disorders may be more disposed to experiencing agitation. Recognizing the signs of agitation and knowing what to do when they appear can be helpful to people with mood disorders and their loved ones.

Presenters:
Scott Zeller, MD
Chief, Psychiatric Emergency Services, Alameda Health System
Past President, American Association of Emergency Psychiatry
Scott Zeller, MD is Chief of Psychiatric Emergency Services for the Alameda Health System in Oakland, CA, one of the busiest Emergency Psychiatry programs in the USA; in his 28 years in Emergency Psychiatry, Dr. Zeller has treated over 80,000 crisis patients. Dr. Zeller is Past President of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and book chapters, lectures internationally as a keynote speaker, and was co-editor of "Emergency Psychiatry: Principles and Practice," which was considered to be the first comprehensive hardbound textbook of Emergency Psychiatry. Dr Zeller founded and directed Project BETA, a multicenter effort which published international best-practice guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of agitation in 2012. Dr Zeller was named Alameda County, California's Outstanding Physician of the Year in 2009; won the San Francisco Business Times' "Heroes of Healthcare" award in 2012, and was the 2013 recipient of the California Hospital Association's "Person of the Year" honor. Dr. Zeller was recently named the 2015 United States National "Doctor of the Year" by the National Council for Behavioral Health.


Tom Lane, CRPS
Member of the DBSA Board of Directors
Tom Lane, CRPS is the Senior Director of the Consumer and Recovery Services for Magellan’s Public Sector Division. He was a charter member and the first Board President of the Florida Peer Network, and founder and first Executive Director of the Albuquerque Drop In Center. Prior to joining Magellan, he worked as Vice President of Recovery Supports and Forensic Services for New Horizons of the Treasure Coast, a community mental health center in Florida. He has 16 years’ experience developing and implementing peer-operated programs, services, and supports in the community and within publicly funded provider settings, including inpatient and state hospital settings. Prior to joining the Board, he coordinated development of Peer Specialists ecourses as part of contractual arrangement between DBSA and Magellan at the national level.