Psychiatric Care

Helping To Fill The Treatment Gap

In any given year, more than one person in five who is over 18 suffers from a psychiatric disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). On average, that's practically one person in each family in America.

Psychiatric disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder are all presented differently and are not always obvious. We all show symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and mood swings at some point, but the point at which such symptoms manifest themselves as psychiatric disorders is not always clear.

Perhaps because the symptoms are not as evident as with physical illnesses, psychiatric disorders have not always received the same level of attention. In fact, most states (including Massachusetts) have only recently passed parity laws requiring equal coverage for medical and several biologically-based psychiatric disorders.

Today, we know more about psychiatric disorders and the suffering they cause both to individuals who experience them and to society as a whole. Consider, for example, that:

• Four of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders - depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to the NIMH.
• Depression is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and established market economies worldwide, NIMH found.
• Up to one half of all visits to primary care physicians are due to conditions that are caused or exacerbated by mental or emotional problems, according to the Collaborative Family Healthcare Coalition (CFHC).

In spite of the tremendous need for treatment, the U.S. Surgeon General reported that millions of Americans who need mental health services are not receiving them. Many psychiatric hospitals are closing.

Walden Behavioral Care is one of the few psychiatric hospitals in the country to open during the current decade offering inpatient care.

"There is an incredible gap between what people need and the services available and what is being paid for," according to Bernard Arons, Director of the U.S. Center for Mental Health Services.

Walden Behavioral Care is here to help fill that gap.