Interventional Psychiatry Services
Interventional Psychiatry Services at the UTHealth Houston Center for Interventional Psychiatry provide advanced, evidence-based treatments for individuals with severe, complex, and treatment-resistant psychiatric illness. These services focus on direct modulation of brain circuits involved in mood, cognition, and behavior and are offered within a comprehensive, multidisciplinary clinical framework.
Interventional psychiatry at the Center is not a standalone service line. Instead, it is fully integrated with comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, medication management, psychotherapy, and matched levels of care, ensuring that each intervention is delivered in the appropriate clinical context.
Scope of Services
The Center offers a full spectrum of interventional and neuromodulation-based treatments, including:
- Intranasal Esketamine Therapy (SPRAVATO®)
- Intravenous Ketamine Therapy
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
- Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
- Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST)
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
- Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
These interventions are selected based on diagnosis, illness severity, prior treatment response, symptom urgency, and patient-specific factors.
Clinical Integration and Decision-Making
All patients considered for interventional treatments undergo a comprehensive psychiatric and medical evaluation. Treatment decisions are guided by:
- Evidence-based indications
- Safety and medical considerations
- Expected benefits and potential risks
- Patient preferences and goals
Shared decision-making is central to the interventional psychiatry model. Patients are informed about the rationale for each treatment option, alternative approaches, and anticipated outcomes.
Delivery Across Levels of Care
Interventional psychiatry services are delivered across the full continuum of care, including:
- Outpatient settings, for treatments such as TMS, esketamine, and IV ketamine
- Intensive Outpatient and Partial Hospitalization Programs, where interventional treatments are coordinated with structured psychotherapy and medication management
- Inpatient psychiatric care, including access to ECT and rapid-acting interventions for acute and high-risk presentations
This flexibility allows the timely initiation of effective treatments and seamless transitions as clinical needs change.
Outcomes and Longitudinal Care
Response to interventional treatments is monitored using measurement-based approaches, allowing for early identification of non-response and adjustment of treatment strategies. Interventional services are embedded within a longitudinal care model that emphasizes relapse prevention, functional recovery, and sustained engagement.
Through its integrated interventional psychiatry services, the Center aims to deliver precise, timely, and effective treatments for patients with the most serious and treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions, while advancing excellence in clinical care, education, and innovation.