Walden Behavioral Care Launches Area’s First Dedicated In-Patient Program for Mood Disorders

Waltham, MA, August 23, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Walden Behavioral Care, LLC today introduced the first in-patient care program in New England exclusively for adults needing treatment for depression, bipolar disorder and other mood disorders.

“Mood disorders affect more than 20 percent of Americans,” according to David H. Brendel, M.D., Ph.D., medical director of the new program. “They are the top cause of disabilities worldwide, and a leading cause of workplace absenteeism and diminished economic productivity.”

While Walden has treated mood disorders since it opened in 2003, the new, enhanced program will be the signature program of Walden’s psychiatric unit. The program serves females and males who are 18 years of age and older.

“We’ve found that a majority of our patients have mood disorders,” according to President and CEO Stuart Koman, Ph.D. “This new program will ensure that we are providing the population we serve with the best care possible.”

Many of Walden’s patients have multiple psychiatric disorders, eating disorders or both. Dr. Brendel said Walden’s mood disorders program will further enhance its leadership in treating patients with multiple disorders.

Program enhancements include the appointment of a dedicated treatment team with an in-depth concentration in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of therapy that seeks to change behavior by challenging patients’ self-defeating beliefs, and changing the way they think and act.

Another program enhancement is that all patients admitted with possible mood disorders will receive a clinical interview, as well as standardized assessments. The assessment data will be used to provide patients with an in-depth understanding of their disorder and, with patients’ permission, as a basis for future research. The program will use a variety of structured assessments, including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Clinical Global Impression scale (CGI).

The in-depth assessments will enable Walden to provide patients and their families with specific measures of the severity of each patient’s mood disorder, which will be used as a benchmark to mark progress toward recovery and for quality improvement.

“Mood disorders require powerful initial treatment, and effective, coordinated aftercare; there are often relapses when these conditions are not met,” according to Dr. Brendel. “Having in-depth data provided by these assessments will help us track trends and better determine the best possible treatment for each patient. Families will also be better able to gauge how their loved ones are progressing.”

Other core services of the new program will include, medical and psychopharmacologic management, nutrition and wellness education, evidence-based group treatment for patients and families and aftercare planning.

About Walden Behavioral Care
Walden Behavioral Care, LLC of Waltham, Mass., treats psychiatric disorders and eating disorders. It is the only facility in New England that provides dedicated in-patient care for mood disorders, and acute in-patient, residential, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient care for patients with eating disorders. By treating mental and physical conditions concurrently, Walden helps achieve lasting results for those who seek a meaningful recovery. Walden has satellite clinics in Braintree, Northampton and Worcester, Mass., for treating eating disorders. Additional information is available on Walden’s Web site at www.waldenbehavioralcare.com.