A 24 year-old male with a history of a psychiatric problem is brought in by his mother for extreme agitation. His mother states that he has been saying strange things and is acting aggressively toward his younger sister today, which is not normal for him. Despite trying to help him calm down, he continued to thrash and yell. The neighbors helped hold him down and bring him to you.
Your ABCDE assessment reveals nothing requiring immediate intervention so you begin to obtain a SAMPLE history. You ask, “When did the symptoms start?” He says that over the past two days he has felt very angry toward his family and the neighbor’s radio that is controlling them.
You direct your questioning to the mother and ask, “Have these symptoms happened before?” You learn that her son has had three similar episodes in the past, when he became agitated and aggressive, his speech did not make sense, and he would speak about radios and spirits. In between these episodes he has had normal behavior.
