MDCCC Clinical Consultative Services Provided
The UMass MDCCC is part of the UMass Depression Center, one of 18 leading national academic medical centers that comprise the National Network of Depression Centers.
The MDCCC provides leading-edge psychiatric consultations which are individually tailored to address questions that arise during treatment. Our faculty has expertise in the evaluation and treatment of adults suffering from complex presentations of major depressive disorder, psychotic depression, treatment resistant depression and bipolar disorder. Our faculty additionally has specialized knowledge in the treatment of mood disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Consultations consist of a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation with a Board Certified faculty psychiatrist. The evaluation is an in-depth assessment of an individual’s current and past symptoms and a detailed examination of prior treatments. When further testing (see below) is clinically indicated, these services will be offered to inform the diagnosis and to develop comprehensive and integrative treatment recommendations including medications, psychotherapies and neuromodulation.
A follow-up consultation, which may be scheduled 6-12 months after the initial consultation, may be scheduled to review progress and treatment outcomes. Recommendations are thoroughly discussed with the individual and their referring physician upon the patient’s request.
Based on the individual’s assessment needs, a MDCCC consult may include the following:
- Initial discussion of patient’s presentation/question for consult with referring prescriber
- Comprehensive review of psychiatric records from current and past prescribers
- Comprehensive review of patient-completed forms (e.g. objective mood rating scales, medical history, etc.) sent in advance of the consult
- Extensive face to face psychiatric evaluation
- Research-based structured assessments to enhance diagnostic evaluation and current symptomatology (as clinically indicated)
- Liaison with current psychiatrist/therapist to facilitate assessment and treatment recommendations (upon patient request)
- Thorough review of one’s longitudinal course and treatment history
- Identification of treatment goals
- Psychopharmacologic and neuromodulation treatment recommendations in algorithmic formulae
- Recommendations on most appropriate types of psychotherapy
- Goals to improve functional outcomes
- Referral to available research options (based upon patient interest)
- Review and inclusion of all additional evaluations (e.g. lab results) in the recommendations
- Family consultation
- Collaboration of care: Telephone and faxed/mailed communication re: full consult results to psychopharmacologist and therapist, upon patient request.
Based on the individual’s assessment needs, the MDCCC offers in collaboration with UMass Chan Medical School and its clinical partner UMMMC the following services that may be a part of a MDCCC consult (these services, when indicated, are billed in addition to the consultation):
- Laboratory services
- Pharmacogenetics services to guide personalized medication recommendations
- Neurodiagnostic services
- Neuropsychiatric consultation
- Polysomnogram (sleep) studies at the UMMMC Sleep Disorders Center