FACULTY OF MEDICINE
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Department of Psychiatry |
Dr Soma Ganesan, Medical Director, Clinical Practice Unit, Department of Psychiatry
We are a specialty clinic within the Department of Psychiatry at Vancouver General Hospital. We provide assessment and treatment of Human Sexual Disorders. The Centre serves the entire Province of British Columbia, Canada.
Our services include assessment and treatment of individuals and couples of all ages with concerns in sexual dysfunction, reproductive health, and limited assessment and treatment services.
Priority is currently given to those who have pain or other sex-functioning problems with intercourse; to other difficulties around fertility (such as vaginismus, dyspareunia or ejaculatory disorders); and to problems related to medical or psychiatric illness or trauma, to post-surgical conditions, or to physical injuries.
The languages and dialects currently offered include Cantonese, Farsi, French, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Hospital Interpreter Service is used for languages not listed above.
We see people with major depressive disorders, dysthymic disorders, bipolar disorders, generalized anxiety disorders, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorders (early stabilization), severe adjustment disorders, and psychotic disorders for a limited number of challenging patients after discharge from inpatient programs.
The cross cultural clinic also supports mental health services provided by the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST) and Bridge Clinic. If appropriate, there is group therapy available with our Outpatient Psychiatry Program.
Our interdisciplinary team assesses (find out what the problem is) and treats seniors who are over 65 with psychiatric problems who are living in the community. The team links with the Vancouver Hospital STAT Centre for Day Hospital and Inpatient care when needed.
We see people with anxiety, memory problems and/or other cognitive difficulties, depression, paranoia/suspiciousness, behavioural problems associated with memory deficits, assessment of person’s ability to live safely at home, legal, financial and personal competency assessment.
House calls are also sometimes provided within a one-hour radius from the hospital.
The Intensive Program offers a tertiary program providing intensive group therapy to persons with significant problems in personality functioning. It also provides consultation and education to care providers.
We see adult residents (age 18-65) of British Columbia with personality disorders, dissociative disorders, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder, who have failed to respond adequately to primary and secondary level treatments.
We provide responsive adult outpatient psychiatric services including assessment, consultation and treatment to our community. We see adults (age 18-65 years) of all cultural backgrounds from the City of Vancouver are eligible for the majority of our programs.
After an initial assessment we may offer: Long term supportive group therapy; Shorter cognitive or psychodynamic model based therapies; and Very brief individual treatment (if possible) and/or recommendations regarding other community resources.
This very unique unit provides a crisis service to the VGH Emergency Department and to the City of Vancouver, second to none in Canada. Within the 20 acute beds is a combination of four high secure rooms, four step-down secure rooms and twelve general observation beds. The unit has a high nurse:patient ratio to meet the safety and acute care needs of the patients. The highly skilled interdisciplinary team provide assessment, crisis intervention, intensive care, pharmacotherapy and triage of the adult mental health patient. There is no restriction for admission and the average length of stay is about 5 days.
East One is a twenty-bed adult inpatient unit at VGH. Fifteen beds are for general psychiatric disorders while five beds are for patients with early psychosis.
An interdisciplinary team provides culturally-sensitive, family-inclusive care using a biopsychosocial approach to the management of symptoms and functional deficits. Community resources are involved throughout the hospitalization and discharge planning.
Treatment modalities include group and individual work.
West One is a twenty-bed adult inpatient unit at VGH. Fifteen beds are dedicated to patients with concurrent disorders and five beds are for general psychiatric
disorders. The care is provided by an interdisciplinary team and includes individual and group work. Programs for patients with concurrent disorders are based upon best practices for individuals with these issues. Community resources are involved throughout
the hospital stay and discharge planning.
This unit responds to the needs of the adult psychiatric patient in crisis. The interdisciplinary team discuss and make recommendations and treatment plans for every patient at rounds each morning. The emphasis is on crisis management, brief psychotherapy re-stabilisation, and seamless return to the community within about a week with sound post-discharge follow-up.
FACULTY OF MEDICINE
|
Department of Psychiatry |