SERVICES

Each team operates with a physician- directed team involving psychiatric nurses, nurse practitioners, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, consultants and resources appropriate for working with their specific patient population.

Typical services include:

• Psychological, neuropsychological and psychosocial evaluations
• Conventional pharmacotherapy and complex psychopharmacology
• Computer Tomographic and Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Individual, marital, family and group psychotherapy
• Electroconvulsive therapy
• Occupational therapy and therapeutic recreation
• Behavior therapy
• Self -help groups (NA,CA,AA)
• Nutrition assessments.

Other services and consultations are obtained as needed for individual patient needs. 

MEDICAL PSYCHIATRY
This team brings together the extensive resources of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System to specialize in the evaluation and treatment of patients with psychiatric disorders with complex combinations of medical and psychiatric illnesses. 

Referral Reasons: 

• Patients with neurobehavioral syndromes
• Sleep disorders
• Mood disorders or psychoses in the medically ill
• Illnesses requiring psychotropic medications where concurrent medical illness requires caution, special treatment, or monitoring

GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY
This program brings together the extensive resources of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System to evaluate and treat elderly patients with a variety of psychiatric illnesses. 

Referral Reasons:

• Patients with mental health disorders resulting from medical co-morbidity (medical illnesses causing or contributing to psychiatric disorders)
• Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar illness
• Aggressive behaviors in Alzheimer's patients
• Psychoses
• Neurobehavioral disorders
  
  For more information about these services, visit the Geriatric Psychiatry page. 

MOOD DISORDERS
Our team specializes in the treatment of patients with affective disorders, major depression (unipolar) and manic-depressive illness (bipolar). 

Referral Reasons:

• Patients with severe depression, not able to live safely in the community
• Patients whose depression is unresponsive to outpatient therapy and medication trials
• Patients whose bipolar disorder is severe or unresponsive to outpatient treatment
• Patients at high risk for suicide
• Patients with mood and/or psychotic symptoms whose diagnosis is unclear. 

SCHIZOPHRENIA
The Department of Psychiatry at the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System is a nationally recognized center for the rapidly changing knowledge base in schizophrenia research. This program brings together the extensive resources of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System to evaluate and treat patients with severe psychotic illness. 

Referral Reasons: 

• Patients with active psychosis, including hearing voices, behaving in a strange manner, not in touch with reality, or demonstrating aberrant belief systems; first-episode psychotic behaviors
• Polypharmacy and complications such as Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome and Tardive Dyskinesia
• Experiencing an acute change in overall functioning with an exacerbation of psychotic symptoms
• Diagnostic dilemmas, patients where careful monitoring and /or alteration in medication regimens is required

To Arrange an Admission or an Appointment, please click here.

The Department of Psychiatry at VCU is located on the MCV campus in downtown Richmond, Virginia.
1200 East Broad Street,
P.O. Box 980710
Richmond, VA 23298-0710

Our clinicians provide services throughout the hospital system, including West Hospital, Main Hospital, Nelson Clinic, North Hospital and in the Ambulatory Care Center.

Our Child and Adolescent division provides inpatient and outpatient care at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children.  

• VTCC is located at: 515 North 10th Street
  Richmond, VA 23298-0489.
• If you are a family member or mental health care provider you may refer a child for assessment or intake:

• Call (804) 828-8822 from Monday – Friday 8a.m. – 9p.m
• Call (804) 828-4999 and ENTER “2500” on weekends and holidays.