Silver Hill Hospital Offers Comprehensive Psychiatric Assessment Program
For individuals with complex psychiatric conditions, obtaining a clear diagnosis and path for managing their illness is often a long and discouraging journey. Silver Hill Hospital, a nationally-recognized leader in the treatment of psychiatric and addiction disorders, offers an assessment program specifically designed to address this challenge. The Argent Program consists of a comprehensive, twelve-day evaluation to deliver clarification around diagnoses and effective treatment recommendations for individuals with complex, comorbid, treatment-refractory conditions.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, traditional diagnostic tools provide “symptom-based categories” into which clinicians may “fit” patients. However, the actual clinical picture in each patient is more complex with many patients exhibiting signs or symptoms of multiple diagnoses.
“The goal of the Argent Program is to gain as deep an understanding of each patient as possible and provide diagnostic clarity about their condition,” said Dr. William Braun, clinical director for the Argent Program. “The goal is to offer detailed recommendations about moving forward successfully with their treatment.”
During the twelve-day assessment program, patients participate in multimodal psychological and neuropsychological testing, and an in-depth review of their clinical and treatment histories. The assessment also includes:
- Interviews with patient family members to better understand the patient’s psychiatric symptoms and illness in their family environments;
- Multiple questionnaires, testing, and medical/physical evaluations including lab tests, brain imaging studies, and sleep studies to assess the impact of sleep impairment on a patient’s psychological functioning and experience;
- A range of psychoeducational programming where experts from various psychotherapeutic backgrounds will collaborate to develop treatment recommendations tailored to the individual;
- An assessment of nutrition, exercise, and personal spirituality to develop recommendations for adjunctive therapies.
“We take a kaleidoscope approach when it comes to evaluating a new patient. We want to be able to gain deep insights into our patients that we wouldn’t get otherwise,” said Dr. Braun. “At the end of the 12 days we want our patients to know that we heard and understood them.”
Established in 1931, Silver Hill Hospital is a nationally-recognized leader in the treatment of psychiatric and addiction disorders. The Hospital has 12 full-time board-certified psychiatrists and admits more than 3,000 adolescents and adults annually for disorders that include addiction, depression, bipolar disorder, personality disorders and schizophrenia among others. Located on 44 scenic acres in New Canaan, Connecticut, the Hospital is especially known for its expertise in treating complex conditions and co-occurring disorders. Silver Hill Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission and is licensed for 129 beds.