Inpatient Psychiatric Care

Inpatient psychiatric care at the UTHealth Houston Center for Interventional Psychiatry is provided on DCB 4C, located within the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center. This unit delivers 24-hour, hospital-based treatment for individuals with acute psychiatric illness or significant safety concerns who require the highest level of care.

Who Is Appropriate for Inpatient Care

Inpatient psychiatric care may be appropriate for patients who:

  • Have acute suicidal ideation, intent, or recent attempts
  • Are experiencing severe depressive episodes or catatonia
  • Have significant functional decline or inability to care for themselves
  • Require close medical or psychiatric monitoring
  • Have not responded to lower levels of care, or whose condition has rapidly worsened

Services Provided

Inpatient care on DCB 4C includes:

  • Comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and daily clinical assessment
  • Intensive medication management, including rapid adjustments when clinically indicated
  • Evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, focused on stabilization and safety
  • Interventional psychiatry services, when appropriate, including:
    • Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
    • Other advanced interventions coordinated with the treatment team

Care is delivered by a multidisciplinary inpatient team and coordinated closely with medical services, outpatient providers, and family members as appropriate.

Stabilization and Transition Planning

The primary goals of inpatient care are safety, symptom stabilization, and development of an effective treatment plan. From the time of admission, the treatment team initiates discharge planning to ensure continuity of care.

As symptoms stabilize, patients are transitioned to the most appropriate next level of care, which may include:

  • Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
  • Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
  • Outpatient psychiatric care

Through coordinated transitions and structured follow-up, the Center aims to support sustained recovery and reduce the risk of relapse or rehospitalization.