The Psychotic Disorders Program at the Douglas Institute provides services to adults aged 18 to 65 with schizophrenia or other forms of psychoses, with the exception of the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montréal), which is designed for people aged 14 to 30.
Access to services
People who want to receive care have to go to the "accueil psychosocial” (entry point) at their CLSC or consult their general practitioners. In the case of a crisis or emergency they may go to the emergency or a community crisis centre.
Each person is assessed and then directed to a service adapted to his or her needs. The person may:
- Receive general 1st-line services (from a CLSC or general practitioner)
- Receive services from the team of 1st-line mental health professionals at a Centre de santé et des services sociaux (CSSS)
- Access more specialized services, such as those provided at the Douglas Institute.
PEPP-Montréal has specific admission criteria.
Services provided
- Psychosis Hospitalization Unit (Burgess 1): A 30-bed unit for people with psychotic disorders who require short-term hospitalization.
- Intensive Rehabilitation Program: Hospitalization and transition services for people suffering from prolonged, complex and treatment-resistant psychotic disorders.
- Out-patient services: composed of the Out-patient Clinic (OPD), the Intensive Community Rehabilitation team, and the ACT team.
- Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montréal): Treatment for youth dealing with an untreated first psychotic episode.
Integrating research into care
In 2007, Anne Crocker, PhD, carried out a research project in a program unit to evaluate the implementation of the START (Short-Term Assessment and Risk of Treatability) tool to measure and manage disruptive behaviour. The project has now been expanded to all services in the Psychotic Disorders Program.
Teaching and knowledge transfer
Program teams provide knowledge transfer, teaching and training activities to health professionals, interns and residents. Each year, the program receives trainees from various disciplines.
Since 2009, two program experts have offered training on the START (Short-Term Assessment and Risk of Treatability) tool for staff at Health and social services centres (CSSS) and for mental health care workers.
