Inpatient treatment of mood disorders

The present work provides a short-term, intensive, and integrative model for the assessment and treatment of mood disorders within a hospital setting. This model was developed and implemented at the Milwaukee Psychiatric Hospital in a specific inpatient program, a 15-bed unit for patients suffering from dysthymia, cyclothymia, major depression, and bipolar disorders. This paper describes the program and its philosophy, the target population, and assessment and treatment interventions. The data collected included pre- and posttreatment measurements of psychopathology and cognitive and emotional functioning for 202 patients. Analysis shows the treatment program was effective as scores on measures of mood disorders and cognition were reduced from significantly high clinical levels to within normal limits. The findings suggest the benefits of using a short-term integrative model in the treatment of mood disorders.