Mental Health Unit
The Mental Health In-Patient Unit is mainly aimed at cases of depression and anxiety such as obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress, social phobia, panic attacks, generalized anxiety and Burnout Syndrome.
This In-Patient Unit has a capacity of 10 beds, with 2 bed wards and private suits, providing a serene, safe and comfortable stay.
The Mental Health Unit
ADMISSION
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On admission, the patient’s first contact will be with the Unit’s duty nurse.
- Once admitted, a brief interview will be held to assess suicide and violence risk and also the patient’s medical history is recorded.
CLOTHING AND OTHER PERSONAL BELONGINGS
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Clothing and footwear should be sporty and comfortable, brought by the patient or his family, including all items of personal hygiene.
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Razors, electric shavers, scissors, or tweezers require supervision by a nurse or an assistant. These objects must be packed and returned for safe keeping after use.
- Belts, jewelry and watches are not allowed in the wards.
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The patient must not bring valuables, sharp objects, metallic nail files, glass containers, medication and mobile phones. If this occurs, these objects must be handed over to the nursing staff who will in turn hand them over to the family as soon as possible.
- Each patient may carry a small wallet containing 10 Euros, preferably in coin form, for drinks and snacks or coffee. The wallets are collected each evening at 10pm and returned the following morning.
WAKE-UP CALL AND BEDTIME
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In the mornings – wake-up call no later than 8.45am;
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Hygiene is daily and can be assisted if necessary, by the nursing staff or assistant;
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Ward Patients must return to their room by 10pm;
- Televisions in the rooms are switched off at 10.30pm.
VISITORS
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It is up to the patient to decide and propose which visitors he authorizes indicating name, date and time of the authorized visitors.
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It is up to the doctor, after the patients consent, to authorized the proposed visitors, on which days and the number of daily visits permitted.
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Once authorized, visits should take place between 4.30pm and 5.30pm and between 6.30pm and 7.30pm.
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If a visitor cannot make the visiting time stipulated, it is up to the duty nurse to decide on an alternative time.
- Visitors can meet with patients on the terrace (2nd Floor), in the common lounge and in the patient’s room only with the permission of the duty nurse.
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With the doctor’s permission and in exceptional cases, a member of the family may remain overnight with the patient, to a maximum of 2 nights, only if it is a private room. During the day, visiting times must be adhered to.
- Visits by children under 12 years, need prior permission by the doctor or nurse.
NON-PSYCHIATRIC MEDICAL CARE AND EXAMS
In the event of medical care being needed, other than psychiatric, exams or other necessary tests, it is possible to have them carried out at the Clinica Particular SIIPEMOR on the Ground Floor of the same building. If the exams prescribed are not available at the Clinic, they can be carried out at the Hospital Particular in Gambelas – Faro.
HOSPITAL DISCHARGE
Hospital Discharge is the responsibility of the patient’s doctor, Mondays to Fridays between 9am and 1pm. Exceptionally discharge can take place until 5pm, by the Psychiatrist, provided he is on the premises.
In the event of medical discharge being required outside the stipulated times (without doctor’s consent):
- the duty nurse will make a brief evaluation of the patient’s clinical condition
- the duty nurse will then contact the doctor to explain the situation.
(a) if a risk situation is not identified discharge is provided against medical advice;
(b) if the doctor considers that the conditions laid down in point 1 of no. 12 of the Mental Health Law (LSM, Law no. 36/98, of 24/07) governing Compulsory Hospitalization ["the person with a serious mental illness which might cause a danger to property, to himself or others, and refuses to submit to the necessary medical treatment, may be placed in an appropriate establishment.”], after the necessary safety measures have been observed (physical or chemical restraint, if necessary), the patient should be taken to the Emergency Department of the Public Hospital of the respective area of residence, where an Emergency Psychiatric Evaluation will be carried out.
Discharge without doctor’s consent:
points a) and b) will be followed.
Discharge by abandonment:
depending on the patient’s medical and family condition, the situation may or may not be reported to the authorities.
THE IN-PATIENT UNIT
This Unit occupies the 1st and 2nd Floors of the Clínica Particular SIIPEMOR, in São Brás de Alportel. It enjoys a pleasant view across the hills and the very recent Parque das Amendoeiras, a landscaped project adjacent to the Clinic. The design and decoration of the Unit reflects peace and tranquility.
The 1st Floor consists of In-Patient facilities with private rooms and rooms with two beds, main reception, common lounge and dining area as well as a nurses station. All rooms have television and telephones.
The 2nd Floor consists of consulting rooms for individual psychologist and psychiatric consultations as well as for the most Therapeutic Group Activities. Also available on this floor are other general consulting rooms as well as a large multipurpose room and a pleasant an open-air living area, all planned with safety and security in mind.
On the Ground Floor there is a Medical Emergency Unit with doctor on Permanent Duty, as well as an Out-Patient Unit with multiple medical Specialties available, including a Department of Imagiology, which also supports the In-Patient Unit when necessary.
GENERAL RULES
To be admitted as an in-patient to the Mental Health Unit an Informed Consent Form containing all its rules and regulations must be agreed to and signed.
The general rules defined are based on those already established in other private psychiatric institutions. However, considering that this is a low-risk hospitalization unit, it is intended that common sense prevail, and it may be adjusted on a case-by-case basis when warranted.
COMMUNICATION WITH THE EXTERIOR
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Patients can make or receive telephone calls between 10am and 8pm, to a maximum of 3 per day, from the phones available at the clinic.
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Should the doctor consider it harmful for the patient to make or receive phone calls, this type of external communication will be prohibited.
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For better control of patients’ communications, both patients and visitors are prohibited from maintaining or using mobile phones on the premises, except when expressly authorized by the doctor or nurse.
- The use of personal computers or own iPad is authorized (only after first being duly authorized by the Team). It is compulsory for these items to be collected at 10pm.
SURVAILLANCE
- Throughout the day and night, excluding the times designated for the planned activities, patient surveillance is carried out by the nursing staff as well as by the assistant staff, always respecting patients’ privacy while at the same time not interfering with each one’s rest period.
PATIENT INFORMATION
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Apart from general information (favorable or otherwise), no other medical or personal information will be provided to family members or friends, without the patient’s consent.
- Information provided to a member of the family, will only be possible during a consultation and always in the presence of the patient.
SMOKING AND OTHER HABITS
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Alcohol, drugs or any other medication, when not prescribed by the patient’s doctor, are not allowed.
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Smoking is only allowed on the 2nd Floor terrace and on the verandas of the common lounge as well as outside the building (Ground Floor).
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Smoking is not permitted on the balconies of the rooms.
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Cigarette lighters are provided in the permitted smoking areas, where they can be used safely and cannot be removed by patients.
- Before retiring to bed, patients must hand over their tobacco to the nursing staff on duty.
PSYCHIATRIC CARE AND TREATMENT
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It is possible to see the psychiatrist for an appointment in the in-patients unit, Monday to Thursday between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.;
- During the afternoon and evening the psychiatric observation is restricted to emergency situations; when psychiatric intervention is required during this period, this may occur through telephone contact with the nursing staff 24 hours / day.
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
- It is expressly forbidden to photograph and record video or audio in the Mental Health In-Patient Unit, unless it is part of the therapeutic activity and only with the consent of all those involved.
AFTER DISCHARGE
After discharge from the In-Patient Unit, treatment with the Psychiatrist and Psychologist may continue on an out-patient basis as follow-up appointment, should the patient so wish. It is also our intention to organize Therapeutic Group Sessions in the Unit for ex-patients and their relatives.
REFERRAL
Referral for admission can be done:
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By the Psychiatrist or Psychologist, during an appointment in the Out-Patients Consultation of the Mental Health Unit;
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By the Emergency Unit of the Hospital Particular in Gambelas or Alvor, provided that the stipulated criteria for hospitalization in the Mental Health Unit are met.
Referral and admission are not immediate and therefore may be conditioned by the following:
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After an initial contact with the secretary of the Mental Health Unit, and once the rules and cost of hospitalization are accepted, the proposal for the patient’s admission will be subject to evaluation by an element of the Team and the response given within 24 hours;
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By the Family Doctor, other Physicians or Psychologists;
- By the patient himself or the family.
If the patient himself wants to be admitted to the Mental Health Unit, the secretary of the Mental Health Unit must be contacted. A response will be received within 24hours where all the necessary information will be provided. The following form must be completed and returned.
Form - Mental Health Unit
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ADMISSION
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Admission procedures are carried out by the reception staff of the Mental Health Unit or by the Emergency Unit of the SIIPEMOR Private Clinic with the opening of the patient’s admin file;
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On admission, the following documents are required: Identification Document / Passport / TAX Card;
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A deposit will also be required. The amount will be calculated according to the type of treatment and number of admission days necessary;
- The patient must sign the Informed Consent Form concerning the admission rules.
FOR WHOM IT IS INTENDED
This Unit is intended for adults with psychiatric illness who voluntarily accept in-patient admission.
It is intended for adults of all ages. Activities planned in the Unit require a quiet and calm environment therefore some conditions are excluded and acceptance criteria defined. Admission to the Unit when it is not consensual and voluntary, cases of severe psychiatric decompensation with marked psychomotor agitation, aggressiveness to self and to others and / or psychotic symptoms with risk criteria.
We treat cases of depression and anxiety such as obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, panic, general anxiety, and burnout syndrome. This Unit also treats personality disorders and problems associated with behavior, such as impulsivity, self-mutilation, drug intoxication, and eating disorders. Cases of substance abuse, such as alcohol and other addictions, are closely supported by Internal Medicine, especially in the physical abstinence phase.
TREATMENT
In-patient Mental Health Unit offers a daily 7 day program schedule, consisting of various therapeutic activities, both individual and group, in a safe, calm and quiet environment, away from stress and the influence of daily living distractions.
The activities consist of several innovative elements, both classic and recently updated therapeutic protocols that illustrate the clinical success of the Team. It consists of a flexible program that allows for a close and personalized psychological follow-up, on a case-to-case basis, respecting the problem in question and its specificities, the socio-cultural reality of the individual and his/her social and religious beliefs.
Pharmacological treatment is used selectively whenever necessary and on consent.
In addition to individual psychiatric and psychological treatment, there are also daily Clinical Hypnosis Sessions. In accordance with the scheduled weekly agenda, there are also psycho-education sessions, video therapy, art therapy, meditation and relaxation sessions.
THERAPEUTIC PROTOCOLS
The Clinical Hypnosis Protocol of the Unit was developed by Dr. Cristina Miguel. Her influence on this technique come from the work of the Portuguese hypnotherapist Mário Rui Santos and from the hypnosis masters Milton Erickson, Brian Weiss, Sofia Bauer, Louise Hay and Marisa Peer.