Rhode Island hospital meets teens’ needs for behavioral health care
The number of adolescents reporting poor mental health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been increasing. According to a recent CDC report from its Division of Adolescent and School Health, in 2021 more than four in 10 students said they felt persistently sad or hopeless; and nearly one-third (29%) reported experiencing poor mental health. Also in 2021, more than one in five students (22%) seriously considered attempting suicide, and one in 10 made a suicide attempt.
Providence, R.I.’s Butler Hospital, a part of Care New England, is reaching out to teens as part of its mission as the state’s only nonprofit, freestanding psychiatric hospital. Butler now offers two behavioral health programs for teens, providing psychiatric treatment and support for young people ages 13 to 17 who are experiencing depression, anxiety, addiction and other mood disorders.
- The Inpatient Teen Treatment Unit offers brief, intensive treatment for teens experiencing depression, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, addiction and other mental health concerns. Clinicians support the teen’s entire family or guardians to address the symptoms of mental illness. This program offers a collaborative, resiliency-based approach and specializes in creating trusting partnerships and positive experiences with families less familiar with the behavioral health system. Family-based assignments may include working on a family journal, family safety plan or family relationships packet.
- The Teen Partial Hospital Program provides care and treatment for teens who do not require inpatient hospitalization but are experiencing anxiety, irritability, mood fluctuations and other life-stage concerns. This day program is five days a week, for six hours a day, and also offers specific expertise in LGBTQ+ affirming treatment and adjustment-related issues. Part of this treatment is creating a plan that will support continued improvement and stabilization for the teen after discharge from the program.