Inpatient Psychiatry

What is Inpatient Psychiatry?

The Inpatient Psychiatric Unit at CVMC offers emergency, short-term stabilization and treatment for patients with a variety of psychiatric disorders. This bright and airy 15-bed unit provides a supportive and safe environment for individuals over 18 years old whose mental illness is getting in the way of their everyday living and who cannot be treated successfully on an outpatient basis. We value the worth and dignity of every person. Our multi-disciplinary staff is committed to providing highly competent, compassionate, comprehensive care designed to promote the patient's recovery and return to community life.

What is a serious mental illness?

There are almost 300 different identified mental disorders described today. The five basic groupings in mental illness are:

• Mood disorders, such as major depression, or bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Personality disorders
• Substance abuse and dependency, such as on drugs and alcohol

Persons with less debilitating mental health concerns, may benefit from the services of  Family Psychiatry Associates or Washington County Mental Health Services.

Our Services

A brief summary of our services is as follows:

1. Assessment - identifying why you are here.
2. Stabilization - reducing your symptoms.
3. Discharge planning - returning to your community.
4. Education - for patients and their families.

Our Strengths

As the only regional inpatient facility, CVMC's Inpatient Psychiatric Unit prides itself on:

• A bio/psycho/social approach to mental illness:
  • We look at the whole person.
  • We evaluate and rule out any physical or medical conditions.
  • We look at stressors and other factors that led up to the need for hospitalization and how these can be addressed
• 24-hour emergency services.
• A multi-disciplinary treatment team. We bring a team of professionals together to determine what the patient needs and to participate in on-going treatment.
• Group support and treatment. We offer a variety of groups and group therapies while in the hospital to help patients improve their social interaction skills while benefiting from group therapy. We also encourage group interaction in our common areas. Our groups include:
  • Relaxation
  • Exercise
  • Nutrition
  • Art
• Comprehensive discharge planning
• We ensure that the patient has the necessary supports in the community when leaving the hospital.
• Promoting and supporting healthy lifestyle choices:
  • We work with patients while in the hospital to learn healthier habits and make better choices when on their own.
  • In-house psychiatric consultation for patients on Medical and Surgical floors

Our Staff

Staff in CVMC's Inpatient Psychiatric Unit include:

• A full-time Board Certified Medical Director
• Two Board Certified Staff Psychiatrists
• Senior Residents from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center who participate in the 24-hour on-call system of coverage
• A full time Nurse Director/Clinical Nurse Specialist in Psychiatry
• Two full-time Nurse Practitioners
• Three social workers
• A Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor
• An Art Therapist
• Highly trained and experienced psychiatric nurses and mental health technicians

Our Environment

The unit was completely renovated in 2002. It is a bright, well ventilated, state-of-the-art facility. There is no smoking permitted on the unit. Smokers are offered various types of assistance including counseling and nicotine-replacement medications.

Patient Rights and Responsibilities

As a patient of CVMC, you have both Rights and Responsibilities. To learn more, click here.

Additional Links:

There are many sites on the internet dealing with mental health issues, including the following:

Alcoholics Anonymous, www.aa.org
Al-Anon-Alateen, www.al-anon.alateen.org
American Psychological Association Help Center, http://helping.apa.org
American Psychiatric Association, www.healthyminds.org
Cocaine Anonymous, www.ca.org
Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, www.ffcmh.org
Freedom from Fear, www.freedomfromfear.org
Narcotics Anonymous, www.na.org
National Alliance on Mental Health, www.nami.org
National Center For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, www.ncptsd.va.gov
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism, www.niaaa.nih.gov
National Institute on Drug Abuse, www.drugabuse.gov
National Institute of Mental Health, www.nimh.nih.gov
National Mental Health Association, www.nmha.org