Mental Health Organization

The Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines a mental health organization as an administratively distinct public or private agency or institution whose primary concern is the provision of direct mental health services to the mentally ill or emotionally disturbed. Excluded are private office-based practices of psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health providers; psychiatric services of all types of hospitals or outpatient clinics operated by Federal agencies other than the Department of Veterans Affairs (for example, Public Health Service, Indian Health Service, Department of Defense, and Bureau of Prisons); general hospitals that have no separate psychiatric services, but admit psychiatric patients to nonpsychiatric units; and psychiatric services of schools, colleges, halfway houses, community residential organizations, local and county jails, State prisons, and other human service providers. The major types of mental health organizations are described below.
Freestanding psychiatric outpatient clinics provide only outpatient services on either a regular or emergency basis. A psychiatrist generally assumes the medical responsibility for services.
Psychiatric hospitals (public or private) primarily provide 24-hour inpatient care and treatment in a hospital setting to persons with mental illnesses. Psychiatric hospitals may be under State, county, private for profit, or private nonprofit auspices.
General hospitals providing separate psychiatric services provide psychiatric services with assigned staff for 24-hour inpatient or residential care and/or less than 24-hour outpatient care in a separate ward, unit, floor, or wing of the hospital.
Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers are hospitals operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (formerly Veterans Administration) and include Department of Veterans Affairs general hospital psychiatric services (including large neuropsychiatric units) and Department of Veterans Affairs psychiatric outpatient clinics.
Residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children must meet all of the following criteria: (a) provide 24-hour residential services; (b) are not licensed as a psychiatric hospital and have the primary purpose of providing individually planned mental health treatment services in conjunction with residential care; (c) include a clinical program directed by a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or psychiatric nurse with a graduate degree; (d) serve children and youth primarily under the age of 18; and (e) have the primary diagnosis as mental illness, classified as other than mental retardation, developmental disability, or substance-related disorders, according to DSM-II/ICDA-8 or DSM-IIIR/ICD-9-CM codes, for the majority of admissions.
Multiservice mental health organizations provide services in both 24-hour and less than 24-hour settings and are not classifiable as a psychiatric hospital, general hospital, or residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children. (The classification of a psychiatric or general hospital or a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children takes precedence over a multiservice classification, even if two or more services are offered.)
Partial care organizations provide a program of ambulatory mental health services or rehabilitation, habitation, or educational programs.

SOURCE: Health, United States

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This page last reviewed January 11, 2007