Aim of the study:
To know the pattern and prevalence of psychiatric illnesses presenting to the emergency department in a general hospital care setting.

Subject or material and methods:
The cross-sectional study included 82 psychiatric patients aged 10 to 60 years and above. Sociodemographic details were obtained, and psychiatric diagnosis was made using International Classification of Diseases 10th edition diagnostic criteria. Statistical analysis was done using Epi Info 7 software.

Results:
Psychiatric emergencies were more prevalent among patients aged 20–39 years both in males and females, female household workers, males performing agricultural work, and those from lower socio-economic status and rural areas. However, a significant difference was observed between the genders regarding occupational and living status.

Discussion:
The common diagnoses included substance use disorders (21.9 %), dissociative disorders (18.3%), bipolar disorder (17.1%), psychotic disorders (17.1%), depressive disorders (14.6%).

Conclusions:
Overall, the study gives insight into various types of presentations and their relation to the psychiatric disorders of psychiatric patients visiting the emergency department. Moreover, the study aids to identify the prevalence of psychiatric emergencies in a general hospital setting.