DEFINITION

• Defined as 24-hour services that are delivered in a licensed hospital setting
  • May be part of a general hospital or an independent psychiatric hospital
  • May be private, academic, or state-operated
• Provides clinical intervention for mental health and/or substance use disorders
• Interventions are delivered in a physically secure and safe setting and include:
  • A full range of intensive evaluation (diagnostic) services
  • Educational and therapeutic services
  • The ability to provide acute psychiatric interventions
    • Medication titration
    • Procedures (e.g., electroconvulsive therapy)
    • Behavior monitoring
    • Intensive brief psychotherapy
    • Social work support
• Admission into this level of care (the highest level of psychiatric care) is to treat serious or dangerous conditions that require rapid stabilization of symptoms, 24-hour nursing supervision, and immediate availability of medical staff.