How do we work?
The Psychiatry Department abides by the principle of a non-specific admissions and treatment policy. This means that patients suffering from the most diverse mental problems may address themselves to the hospital for admission, or for a policlinic examination or treatment.
Mood Disorders and ADHD comprise the two main research areas within UZ Brussel’s Psychiatry Department. The Department has developed significant expertise in both these fields. In the case of Mood Disorders, the focus is on Depressive and Bipolar Disorders. ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is an attention deficit disorder marked by hyperactivity.
Currently, research is being conducted into:
• the treatment of depressions through repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
• the behavioural and cognitive manifestations of ADHD in adults
• the validation of questionnaires used to detect personality disorders
You may be invited to participate in one of these studies during your admission to, or during consultation at the Psychiatry Department. You may decide whether or not to participate, having received full information about the research. Participation is naturally voluntary.
Should you require a thorough diagnostic assessment, you may request a psychological examination by a Clinical Psychologist. This may take place during one or more consultations. A psychodiagnostic test may, among other things, gauge:
• intelligence and cognitive functions,
• psychiatric conditions, complaints and symptoms,
• personality,
• Dementia Syndromes,
• Developmental disorders (+18 years).
A Psychodiagnosis may also be called for in the context of a psychiatric expert assessment.
The treatments at UZ Brussels are always based on the most recent scientific research data (in other words, the approach is always evidence based).
Pharmacotherapy, or treatment through medication, plays an important part. Moreover, an assessment is always made of the non-medicinal treatments which may be appropriate for specific patients in the longer term. Psychotherapy is an example of such treatment.
In cases of acute and/or therapy-resistant forms of depression, UZ Brussel offers Electro-convulsion-Therapy (ECT), so-called Electroshocks. Naturally, this treatment is only administered with the patient’s consent following thorough prior examination. The treatment is administered under short-term general anaesthesia.
In certain cases of depression, with a high probability of relapse and following the failure of various maintenance treatments, ECT will be offered as a maintenance treatment. Its frequency will vary from once a week to once a month. These treatments are offered on a semi-ambulatory basis. Patients will hereby remain in hospital during the day or at night, while staying at home the remainder of the time.
In case of therapy-resistant depressions, RTMS treatments may also be offered (Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation). No admission is required for such treatments.
The Admissions Ward (Nursing Unit 24) has recently been fully renovated. The Ward counts eight one-person rooms and eleven two-person rooms (30 beds in total). Each room comprises a small bathroom with a lavatory, washbasin and shower). There is also a Day Room, with a sitting, reading and TV area and a kitchen.
Admissions to the Psychiatry Department are arranged through various channels:
• the Emergency Ward,
• other Care Units in the hospital,
• the Policlinic,
• the GP and/or Psychiatrist.
The average length of stay is less than 3 weeks. Admissions to the Department are geared towards treating acute problems as well as thorough diagnoses with a view to possible further guidance.
The Department works very closely with the hospital’s other departments, with Psychiatric Hospitals across the region and with Centres for Mental Healthcare.
Liaison Psychiatry is aimed at patients who suffer from mental problems during their treatment in on of the hospital’s other departments. Such complaints may be apparent before admission, or they may arise during hospitalisation as a result of a physical disorder.
Monthly information sessions about (ir)responsible drinking are held every second and fourth Friday of the month to patients admitted to the various wards.
The Psychiatric Liaison Team at UZ Brussels consists of a Psychiatrist and a Clinical Psychologist. The team may be contacted through the consulting physicians at the admissions ward.