‘Why do we need a book about psychiatric intensive care?’ ‘What IS psychiatric intensive care?’, ‘Is there any difference between intensive care and general psychiatry?’ ‘Where is the distinction between forensic psychiatry and psychiatric intensive care?, ‘What special skills do PICU staff require?’ Our first attempt to address some of these questions came at the first national conference on psychiatric intensive care, held at Bexleyheath, England, in 1996. The enthusiasm of the delegates and their thirst for knowledge and networking has led to the publication of this book.

We, as editors, have attempted to cover as many elements of the psychiatric intensive care provision as is possible within one book. We are, however aware of certain deficiencies. Where there is an evidence-base, we have attempted to use it. Where there is not, we have used personal experience and the experience of others to guide us. We believe that psychiatric intensive care is at the heart of psychiatry and its good practice requires a full multidisciplinary team, strong leadership and effective managerial support. We have, therefore, included a wide variety of chapters, all written by professionals who have extensive expertise in this area of care. We have included examples of sample policies, which can be used as a guide, but these obviously need to be adapted and scrutinised for use locally. The editors would welcome any comments and suggestions on this work.

The first section addresses treatment issues. Effective treatment requires input from a wide variety of professionals.