Psychiatry - Adult and Pediatric

Anna Jaques is the only community hospital in the region to provide inpatient psychiatric services to adults, adolescents and children.

Adult Program and Treatment Overview (Ages 16 and Older)

Inpatient psychiatric care at Anna Jaques Hospital provides short-term, acute inpatient care to adults and adolescents ages 16 and older with a broad spectrum of psychiatric problems such as mood disorders, psychotic disorders, substance abuse, trauma, and disruptive behavior disorders. The inpatient program is a 20-bed acute care co-ed unit with 12 single and double rooms and three common areas.

Each patient is assigned to a treatment team consisting of a psychiatrist, nurse, social worker and occupational therapist. Clinical services and treatments may include:

• Psychiatric Evaluation
• Comprehensive and multidisciplinary evaluation
• Psychopharmacologic evaluation and management
• Restraint avoidance planning
• Crisis-oriented intensive family consultation as indicated
• Consultation to schools and residential programs as indicated
• Case management and collaboration with outpatient clinicians, family and other
• community agencies
• Group and occupational therapy

Dual Diagnosis Program

The program addresses substance abuse disorders in patients with a primary psychiatric disorder.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a procedure used to treat individuals suffering from the symptoms of severe depression. ECT may be indicated when other treatments, such as psychotherapy and antidepressant medications, have failed.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program

In response to a growing need for mental health services for children and adolescents—an issue intensified by social and physical isolation during the pandemic—Anna Jaques Hospital has expanded its commitment to inpatient mental health and support services for young people.

Anna Jaques recently received approval and funding from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to increase the number of inpatient beds from 12 to 16 at the hospital’s Amesbury Psychological Center, Children and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit.

The Anna Jaques Child and Adolescent Psychiatry program provides structured and secure inpatient psychiatric services to children and adolescents ages 4-17. Patients are admitted to the program when their mental or emotional disorders prevent them from safely functioning at home, at school, or in the community. The program offers short-term inpatient treatment and stabilization. Patients typically are admitted after evaluation in a hospital emergency department, outpatient treatment center, or residential treatment center.

The program includes:

• Psychiatric, nursing, and psychosocial evaluation
• Medication evaluation and psychopharmacological treatment
• Therapeutic and occupational groups, free time, and outdoor exercise
• Parent, family, and guardian involvement in treatment planning
• Coordination with state and private agencies and outpatient providers
• Restraint avoidance planning
• Educational tutoring and coordination with schools
• Discharge planning

The program is staffed by psychiatrists, nurses, mental health counselors, occupational therapists, and social workers. The full resources of Anna Jaques Hospital are available to treat medical conditions and emergencies.

Visitation hours are between 8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Visitors must be pre-approved by parents or guardians. All visitors must present photo identification prior to visiting the child or adolescent.

The program does not admit children and adolescents brought directly to the unit without prior notification and admitting orders. Individuals experiencing psychiatric emergencies should be evaluated in the Anna Jaques Emergency Department, another hospital’s emergency department, or by a mental health provider qualified to make an emergency evaluation.