| Department of Psychiatry |
Patient Guide
The Department of Psychiatry Patient Guide is a brief introduction
to psychiatric illness and how we treat psychiatric disorders at the
University of Chicago Hospitals Department of Psychiatry. If you
suspect that you or a loved one may be suffering from a psychiatric
disorder of any kind, please contact us at (773) 702-3858 to schedule
an evaluation, or to discuss possible treatment options.
Anxiety Disorders
For those feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, the Department of Psychiatry provided thorough, accurate diagnostic evaluations and highly successful short-term treatments. The clinic also helps those experiencing panic, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or social phobias.
Anxiety is an intense sense of apprehension or panic, and is a common symptom of many psychiatric disorders including depression and substance abuse. When significant distress or dysfunction result from these feelings, an anxiety disorder may be present. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorders, and phobias are all classified as anxiety disorders.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by persistent, intrusive thoughts, or obsessions, which cause overwhelming distress and anxiety. A constant unwarranted fear that a loved one will be harmed is an obsession. Typically, these thoughts are accompanied by compulsions, or rituals, that are repeated in an attempt to reduce the anxiety. An example is repeatedly counting to 10 so harm does not occur.
The intense fear and anxiety associated with panic disorders arise suddenly and can last for minutes or several hours. An attack may come "out of the blue" or be triggered by psychological, social, or environmental factors. Physical symptoms can include shortness of breath, swearing, sharing, hot flash, chills, chest pain, and a sense of impending doom or terror.
A phobia is a persistent and intense fear which is out of proportion to the object or event. Although aware that the fear is irrational, an individual with a phobia will avoid the feared object. A fear and avoidance of eating in public, for example, may become sufficiently distressful or disabling that the sufferer is socially crippled.
When You Arrive for Care
You will meet with one of our clinicians for a diagnostic interview. Areas that may be covered in the interview process are:
- Symptoms you are experiencing and how long they have been present
- Recent or past stressors
- Medical problems and medications you are currently taking
- Your previous visits to mental health professionals
- Some general background about your family
- Your use of drugs or alcohol
The team, led by our attending psychiatrist, will then meet to review your case and formulate your personal treatment plan. During the last stage of diagnostic evaluation, you will reconvene with your clinician to discuss your diagnostic and treatment plan in detail. Your input is essential to the success of your treatment. We will make arrangements for your follow-up care as needed.
The Anxiety Disorders Treatment Team
The team is made up of highly trained and skilled psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and nurses who work in a clinical environment enriched by academic teaching and research.
Confidentiality
All information obtainied during your diagnostic evaluation will be kept confidential. If your clinician feels that discussing your treatment with another health care provider would be beneficial, our staff will assist you in completing a Release of Medical Information Form.
Appointments and Information
If you would like to schedule an appointment, please contact:
| (773) 702-3858 |
| (773) 702-6199 |
| (773) 702-6454 |
Depression and Mood Disorders
While sadness and happiness are normal emotions, these feelings may signal a problem when they are intense and long-lasting, and interfere with a person's life. Professionals call these problems mood disorders. Mood disorders are among the most common and most treatable of all mental illnesses.
Common medical terms used to describe mood disorders include depression, mania, and bipolar disorder. All of these disorders seriously impair an individual's ability to relate to other people and perform routine tasks. Specialized, individual treatment programs for these disorders are available through the Department of Psychiatry.
Depression affects nearly 7 percent of people at some time during their lives. Women are more likely to suffer from this illness. Unlike the normal "down" moods wea all have occasionally, major depression lingers and becomes more severe than can be attributed to events of daily life. People with depression lose interest in their usual activities and pastimes. They feel hopeless and worthless. Thoughts about death and dying are common, and the risk of suicide is significant.
By contrast, mania is marked by excessive elation, hyperactivity, inflated self-image, and a decreased need for sleep. The person may talk non-stop, with a rush of ideas and rapid, nonsensical topic changes. During a manic episode, the person may have poor judgement, delusions, or hallucinations, and may require hospitalizations.
Dramatic swings from severe depression to euphoria are characteristics of bipolar disorder (commonly called manic depressive illness). Some people experience periods of normal mood between the manic and depressive phases.
For those feeling depressed or experiencing difficulties relating to mood, the Department of Psychiatry provides thorough, accurate diagnostic evaluations and short-term treatments.
When You Arrive for Care
You will meet with one of our clinicians for a diagnostic interview. Areas that may be covered in the interview process are:
- Symptoms you are experiencing and how long they have been present
- Recent or past stressors
- Medical problems and medications you are currently taking
- Your previous visits to mental health professionals
- Some general background about your family
- Your use of drugs or alcohol
The team, led by our attending psychiatrist, will then meet to review your case and formulate your personal treatment plan. During the last stage of diagnostic evaluation, you will reconvene with your clinician to discuss your diagnostic and treatment plan in detail. Your input is essential to the success of your treatment. We will make arrangements for your follow-up care as needed.
The Mood Disorders Treatment Team
The team is made up of highly trained and skilled psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and nurses who work in a clinical environment enriched by academic teaching and research.
Confidentiality
All information obtainied during your diagnostic evaluation will be kept confidential. If your clinician feels that discussing your treatment with another health care provider would be beneficial, our staff will assist you in completing a Release of Medical Information Form.
Appointments and Information
If you would like more detailed information on our approach to
handling anxiety disorders, or would like to schedule an appointment,
please contact:
| Appointments | (773) 702-3858 |
| Reception | (773) 702-6199 |
| Fax | (773) 702-6454 |
Eating Disorders
While eating, shape, and health interests may be normal, these concerns may signal a problem when they are dominating and intrusive in a person's life. Obsession with weight to the point where it controls your eating patterns can be called an eating disorder. Comprehensive evaluation and effective treatments are available through the Department of Psychiatry. Our clinical team sees individuals who are concerned about their eating patterns. The team advises patients on how to best deal with their symptoms.
The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight. This anxiety drives the person to decrease their intake to minimal portions or not eat at all. As a result, the person refuses to maintain a body weight at or above the minimally normal weight for their age and height. Usually this is accompanied with an overloaded exercise routine to burn off any calories consumed.
Bulimia nervosa also involves having an intense fear of weight gain. This leads the person into creating a restrictive dietary regimen. But the hunger drives the person to consume an excessive amount of food in a short period of time. During this binge, the person feels a lack of control over their ability to stop or control what they are eating. As a reaction to compensate the calories they ate, the person will purge through vomiting, fasting, excessive exercising, using laxatives, using diuretics, or other similar means.
Binge-eating disorder also entails of the person having a binge where they eat an unusually large amount of food in a discrete amount of time with a sense of lack of control and marked distress. The person also will feel like he/she is eating much more rapidly than normal, eating until feeling uncomfortably full, eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry, eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating, or feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or guilty after overeating.
Eating disorder not otherwise specified happens when the person engages in behaviors similar to anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa but does not meet the stringent diagnostic criteria for either.
For those feeling overwhelmed by their eating problems, the Department of Psychiatry provides thorough, accurate diagnostic evaluations and highly successful short-term treatments.
When You Arrive for Care
You will meet with one of our clinicians for a diagnostic interview. Areas that may be covered in the interview process are:
- Symptoms you are experiencing and how long they have been present
- Recent or past stressors
- Medical problems and medications you are currently taking
- Your previous visits to mental health professionals
- Some general background about your family
- Your use of drugs or alcohol
When you decide to enter treatment, the treatment team will meet to review your case and formulate your personal treatment plan. During the last stage of diagnostic evaluation, you will reconvene with your clinician to discuss your diagnostic and treatment plan in detail. Your input is essential to the success of your treatment. We will make arrangements for your follow-up care as needed.
The Eating Disorders Treatment Team
The team is made up of highly trained and skilled psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and nurses who work in a clinical environment enriched by academic teaching and research.
Confidentiality
All information obtained during your diagnostic evaluation will be kept confidential. If your clinician feels that discussing your treatment with another health care provider would be beneficial, our staff will assist you in completing a Release of Medical Information Form.
Appointments and Information
Our clinic hours are Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to noon. If you would like more detailed information on our approach to handling anxiety disorders, or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact:
Appointments: Reception: FAX:| Appointment | (773) 702-3858 |
| Reception | (773) 702-6199 |
| Fax | (773) 702-6454 |
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