By chrisbAugust 27th, 2013
When a woman has depression, it interferes with her daily life and routine, such as going to work or school, taking care of children, and relationships with family and friends. Depression can cause pain for the person who has it as well as for those who care about him or her. Depression is a serious medical condition, more than just the “blues” or the occasional feeling of being “down in the dumps” or “blue.”
Women with depression typically have feelings of desperation and hopelessness for weeks at a time. For this reason, the Psychiatric Research Institute provides comprehensive services for women through its Women’s Mental Health Program. The focus of the Women’s Mental Health Program is on treatment planning for women with mental illnesses as they progress through their childbearing years. Specializing in the treatment of mental illness during pregnancy and the postpartum period, the Women’s Mental Health Program’s primary goal is aiding new and expectant mothers as they seek to make well-informed mental health care decisions, ultimately helping to ensure the well-being of both mother and child.
The women’s inpatient unit at PRI is the only one of its kind in Arkansas. With 10 beds devoted strictly to female patients, this therapy-rich environment was created to help a portion of the population that typically avoids treatment. The staff of the Psychiatric Research Institute’s women’s inpatient unit, located on the fifth floor (5 North), recognizes the challenges that women seeking care for mental disorders incur. Depression, substance abuse, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and illnesses related to major life changes significantly impact women. The highly skilled psychiatric treatment team on 5 North is trained to address these complex conditions. They are able to care for patients who suffer from acute forms of mental illness, illnesses that may have gone unrecognized or been misdiagnosed for significant periods of time.