Psychiatry

Psychiatry at Beverly Hospital

The psychiatry team at Beverly Hospital is dedicated to helping adults 18 years of age and older achieve their best behavioral health. Our team joins forces to diagnose and evaluate all types of behavioral illness and substance use disorders. Then working with you or your loved one, we develop a treatment plan to help manage symptoms so you can live life more fully.

We offer a wide array of treatments and tailor our care to your specific needs. It may include inpatient and outpatient services. Treatment is provided on the Beverly Hospital campus as well as at our satellite locations at BayRidge Hospital and Addison Gilbert Hospital. Most patients reach our services through the emergency department (ED).

What to Expect

When you arrive at the ED, a nurse will see you or your loved one, get a health history and do a brief evaluation. Next comes a visit from the ED physician, who may order bloodwork and other tests. That’s followed by an in-depth interview with a social worker. This process helps us determine which patients benefit from a hospital stay.

Observational Care

In some cases, we require more time to make a diagnosis and determine treatment needs. For up to 23 hours, we have a patient stay in an observation bed. During this time, our team continues to assess you or your loved one’s condition. We may bring in other experts, such as a primary care doctor and consulting psychologists and neurologists, as well.

Inpatient Hospital Care

If we determine you or your loved one needs inpatient care, we can provide it in one of our three secure inpatient units. These units offer specialized care for different needs. An ambulance will transport you to the appropriate facility. Stays are typically five to eight days.

• Beverly Hospital serves patients with behavioral health needs through its Leland Unit. Psychiatric services may also be provided on medical floors so that patients’ medical treatment can proceed in a safe and effective manner.
• BayRidge Hospital specializes in general psychiatry. It provides care for people with conditions such as psychotic disorders, substance use disorders and those who have attempted suicide. It also offers a 6-bed, short-stay unit for people who have had public emotional outbursts.
• Addison Gilbert Hospital’s Senior Adult Unit specializes in providing psychiatric care for people 65 years of age and older. It’s nationally recognized for the care it provides seniors and has achieved Age-Friendly status from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. This award recognizes the hospital’s efforts to provide the highest quality care to older adults.

Partial Hospitalization Program

Our Partial Hospitalization Program is a short-term, intensive outpatient program for adults. It’s designed to help to restore coping skills and supports recovery efforts from behavioral illness, addiction or both. Patients spend six hours a day at the hospital but return home in the evenings. The program may be helpful for patients as they transition out of inpatient care. It may also help people avoid hospital admission or stabilize patients during a crisis.

During the day, program participants take part in several group therapy sessions and see a therapist for individual counseling. Our psychiatrists also provide medication management and help participants deal with any medication side effects.

Program Goals

Specific goals of the program are to:

• Help arrange ongoing outpatient treatment when needed, as well as participation in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings
• Help patients attain the skills needed to manage symptoms and develop new social support systems
• Identify behavior and attitude changes needed to achieve and maintain successful recovery
• Provide education to patients and families about the factors that may have led to the patient’s behavioral health episode
• Provide support to patients as they work to stabilize their behavioral health

Admission Requirements

To be accepted into the Partial Hospitalization Program, a patient must:

• Be able to maintain safety at home overnight and when not in the program
• Have a psychiatric diagnosis or co-existing substance abuse and psychiatric disorders
• Have the ability for self-control
• Not be actively suicidal

For more information about the program, please call 978-922-3000, ext. 2812. Ask to speak with the Partial Hospitalization Program coordinator.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy

TMS is similar to ECT. It’s a form of neurostimulation that triggers brain activity. But TMS uses very strong magnetic pulses instead of electricity. A psychiatrist and TMS technician administer the treatment in an outpatient office setting. No anesthesia is needed. You remain awake and alert throughout the treatment.

Patients get TMS five days a week for about six weeks. Each treatment session lasts just over half an hour. Once it’s completed, you’re free to go about your daily routine. Studies show that TMS is safe and effective. Half of patients improve significantly. And about 33% of patients are symptom-free after six weeks of treatment.

Who May Benefit from TMS?

To have this treatment, you must be at least 40 years old. The treatment has been successful for people who:

• Are not getting adequate results from their current depression treatment
• Are taking multiple medications for depression
• Feel that depression continues to have a negative impact on their daily life
• Feel that the side effects of their treatment outweigh the benefits
• Find that depression has increased their doctor visits for other conditions
• Have tried ECT for their depression

For More Information

For more information about TMS, please call 978-304-8532.