Presentation comparison

Emergency

Violence, aggression, and risk to others

Covers aggressive or violent behaviour, homicidal ideation, and medical or psychiatric precipitants.

Acute aggression or homicidal intent threatens immediate safety and may signal delirium, intoxication or mania.

Safety snapshot

Emergency

Aggression is often fear- or belief-driven rather than predatory.

Acute psychosis Mania / mixed state Substance intoxication or withdrawal

1 of 8 diagnoses compared

Edit selection

CriteriaComparison detail	Acute psychosisEmergency

1 of 8 comparedEdit

Safety snapshot

Emergency

Aggression is often fear- or belief-driven rather than predatory.

Acute psychosis Mania / mixed state

Selected differentials (1 of 8)

+7 not selected

Open a selected differential to review its clinical record.

Acute psychosis

Highest urgency

Based on current selection

Emergency

Acute psychosis

Safety first. Act early.

Emergency

Clinical reference — not validated decision support. Review before use.

Why it fits	Paranoia, internal preoccupation, threat misinterpretation	Irritability, grandiosity, limit-setting intolerance, impulsivity	Alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine, GHB, alcohol/benzo/GHB withdrawal	Cognitive impairment, fluctuating attention, fear, pain	Abandonment, humiliation, perceived invalidation	Defensive aggression, hyperarousal, startle, fear	Overload, communication failure, routine disruption, pain	Coercion, seclusion threat, crowding, sleep deprivation
What argues against	Applies to the whole presentationReview locally.
Must-not-miss	Weapons, command voices, victim-specific delusions, severe disorganisation	Psychosis, exhaustion, severe substance co-use	Hyperthermia, seizures, delirium, chest pain	Infection,
Bedside question	Applies to the whole presentationAggression is often fear- or belief-driven rather than predatory.
Immediate action	Applies to the whole presentationViolence in psychosis is often defensive from perceived threat Mixed irritability is easy to underestimate
Investigations	Applies to the whole presentationGuided by presentation.
Mimics / overlap	Applies to the whole presentationReview overlap locally.

Why it fits

Paranoia, internal preoccupation, threat misinterpretation

Irritability, grandiosity, limit-setting intolerance, impulsivity

Alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine, GHB, alcohol/benzo/GHB withdrawal

Cognitive impairment, fluctuating attention, fear, pain

Abandonment, humiliation, perceived invalidation

Defensive aggression, hyperarousal, startle, fear

Overload, communication failure, routine disruption, pain

Coercion, seclusion threat, crowding, sleep deprivation

What argues against

Applies to the whole presentationReview locally.

Must-not-miss

Weapons, command voices, victim-specific delusions, severe disorganisation

Psychosis, exhaustion, severe substance co-use

Hyperthermia, seizures, delirium, chest pain

Infection,

Bedside question

Applies to the whole presentationAggression is often fear- or belief-driven rather than predatory.

Immediate action

Applies to the whole presentationViolence in psychosis is often defensive from perceived threat Mixed irritability is easy to underestimate

Investigations

Applies to the whole presentationGuided by presentation.

Mimics / overlap

Applies to the whole presentationReview overlap locally.

Violence, aggression, and risk to others

Safety snapshot

Safety snapshot

Selected differentials (1 of 8)

Highest urgency

Applies to the whole presentation, not to one diagnosis

What argues against

Bedside question

Immediate action

Investigations

Mimics / overlap

Why it fits

Must-not-miss

Review & handoff

Copy after review

Source status

Selected differentials (1 of 8)

Highest urgency

Review & handoff

Copy after review

Source status