Bipolar Treatment Centers

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The centers for bipolar treatment listed below all have outstanding reputations. They were selected based on their reputation, and also on their having some unique or significant service offering. However, the writer has never been a patient at any of these facilities and cannot provide first hand information.

1. Skyland Trail Bipolar Center “Skyland Trail is a model of care for people with mental illness …its services are simply state of the art.” Rosalynn Carter, Former First Lady, October 2003.

Skyland Trail is a private bipolar treatment center in Atlanta, Georgia. Each stay begins with an assessment of symptoms and skills deficits to determine the most appropriate treatment program. The Center uses a range of therapeutic approaches to fit each client’s needs and learning styles. Group sessions focus on cognitive behavior therapy, support, skill building, psychoeducation, arts, horticulture and recreation. Clients practice their developing skills at the bipolar treatment center in the residential programs and the social program.

2. Hollywood Pavilion Treatment Center is a treatment center for women in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Their treatment approach consists of psychopharmacology and a skiled blend of cognitive, behavioral and experiential techniques. These modalities are complemented by ancillary activities to heal emotional distress, enhance spiritual awareness, and develop self esteem.Their philosophy is that women need a safe environment taht is free from distraction in order to explore all the complexities of their internal and external lives.

3. Rose Hill Treatment Center is a private, non-profit, psychiatric rehabilitation facility. It is located on 372 rolling, wooded acres in Holly, Michigan about 40 miles north of Detroit.

Centered on the fundamental beliefs that "one recovers life by living it" and that "meaningful and mutually supportive relationships are essential for a healthy lifestyle," Rose Hill Center's treatment program has four major objectives:

1. Provide psychiatric treatment and maintain clinical stability.

2. Develop proficiency in work skills.

3. Enhance social, leisure and recreational skills.

4. Support independent living skills.

4. The Bipolar Family Treatment Center at Beth Israel Hospital involves the families of bipolar patients at every stage of care. This is known as Family-Inclusive Treatment (FIT). FIT is an alternative to the common psychiatric practice of limiting information about the patient’s medications, psychotherapy or other treatment.

As a bipolar treatment center, both outpatient and inpatient services are offered. Inpatient treatment is on a general psychiatric unit with treatment from a specialist in Bipolar Disorder. There are three inpatient units at Beth Israel.

5. Bridges to Recovery is a residential treatment center for those who are seeking help with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, personality disorders and trauma. Most of the Center's doctors have trained at or are affiliated with UCLA and work from the most up-to-date and effective psychological theories and methodologies.

The program has a holistic perspective, and includes individual psychotherapy throughout the week. Individual psychotherapy is supplemented with group process therapy, art therapy, music therapy, equine therapy, yoga, acupuncture, physical fitness, nutritional counseling, healthy meals and more.

Bridges to Recovery is situated in the mountains between Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean.

6. Lakeview Health in Jacksonville, Florida, specializes in dual diagnosis treatment. Unlike some bipolar treatment centers that are only set up to treat bipolar, Lakeview also addresses the addictions that frequently exist along with bipolar.

From a clinical perspective, Lakeview’s dual diagnosis treatment program treats co-existing disorders concurrently, looking for gradual, but steady, progress. A dual diagnosis is a complex disorder to treat effectively so nursing supervision, medical / psychiatric care, drug detox, and addiction help are all provided. Caring and supportive addiction treatment / psychiatric staff are available and on premises 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

7. New Haven Residential Treatment Program offers teen bipolar disorder treatment. At New Haven teen girls with bipolar disorder are provided an individual treatment plan to help them and their families deal with and overcome the difficult challenges associated with bipolar. Disorder. New Haven has highly qualified psychiatric professionals. Treatment includes 90 minutes of individual therapy per week, 90 minutes of family therapy per week, proper medical treatment, and in-the-moment processing with New Haven's highly skilled staff.

8. The Austen Riggs Center was voted one of America's Best Hospitals in 2007. The Austen Riggs Center is located in the small town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on Norman Rockwell's Main Street.

The Austen Riggs's mission is to improve the lives of emotionally troubled and "treatment-resistant" patients by providing quality and cost-effective treatment. The focus throughout the Center's programs is the importance of human relationships and the responsibility and dignity of the individual.

Patients at Riggs participate in 4-times weekly intensive individual psychodynamic psychotherapy with a psychiatrist or doctoral-level psychologist on the Riggs staff. The developing relationship between the patient and therapist becomes an agent of change in a process of learning, unlearning, re-learning, and growth. Through the translation of symptoms into words, therapy helps patients acknowledge, bear and put into perspective painful life experiences so that they may begin to take charge of their present situation and their future.

9. Silver Hill Hospital is a nationally recognized, independent, not-for-profit psychiatric hospital. Since 1931, it has focused exclusively on providing patients the best possible treatment of psychiatric illnesses and substance use disorders.

Inpatient Care for adults and adolescents at Silver Hill Hospital focuses on rapid evaluation, relief from symptoms of illness and, if indicated, detoxification from substances of abuse. There is a high staff-to-patient ratio to help patients achieve rapid stabilization.

Silver Hill Hospital emphasizes the importance of family involvement. Another key belief is that the environment of care is as important as the techniques of care. The treatment center is located on a beautiful 45-acre country campus in New Canaan, Connecticut. It offers patients a setting that fosters the process of recovery. If this is something important to you, this may make Silver Hill an important when shortlisting bipolar treatment centers.

10. Walden Behavioral Care provides a complete "continuum of care" for treating patients with psychiatric disorders such as bipolar and eating disorders. Walden concentrates on integrating medical, behavioral and nutritional care. This whole-health approach helps achieve lasting results for those who seek a meaningful recovery.

Walden's bipolar treatmet center is located in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Treatment approaches overall are anchored in proven, clinically effective techniques. Lithium carbonate, which can reduce the number and intensity of manic episodes or even prevent them, is often used, and behavioral therapy and psychotherapy are also important, in addition to support groups for family members.

Walden is an attractive choice for people struggling with bipolar and eating disorders.

Of all the private bipolar treatment centers listed, I think I personally would opt for Walden or the Austen Riggs Center.