The child and adolescent psychiatric program is designed to treat children who are suffering from:

• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Psychosis
• Attention deficit disorder with behavioral problems
• Co-existing disorders

Through an assessment by a team of professionals and crisis stabilization treatment, this program focuses on providing behavioral education, medication management, and family therapy.

Children and adolescents in the program are placed in a structured, safe environment where they have the opportunity to learn how to live and interact with others. They also can earn points on a tier system to obtain special privileges.

Co-existing disorders

Children with co-existing substance abuse and psychiatric disorders must overcome a number of significant hurdles on their way to recovery, including multiple health and social problems, a poor response to traditional treatments, and a lack of joint treatment options.

If one disorder goes untreated, both disorders usually worsen. Additional complications, which can include serious medical problems such as liver disease or other organ damage, HIV and suicide, may occur. The child or adolescent also may have difficulties with the juvenile justice system.

The Shands Vista adolescent substance abuse program provides therapies aimed at treating substance abuse in addition to the treatment that is provided for children with psychiatric disorder treatments. This additional treatment includes specialized group therapy, psycho-education on the effects of substances, and a specialized modular treatment plan.

In addition to the psychiatric program of group, individual and family therapy, a well-defined treatment module system is added for those suffering from substance abuse as well. In this treatment plan, patients focus on 15 various modules:

• Being honest with themselves and understanding the negative effect substance abuse has had on \ their lives
• Learning about the effects of substance abuse and use
• Learning about the disease of addiction
• Developing a recovery plan
• Trusting their own judgment and the judgment of others
• Building self-esteem
• Accepting imperfection
• Rediscovering themselves
• Thinking rationally (cognitive changes)
• Establishing realistic recovery goals
• Creating successful relationships outside of those involving substance abuse
• Building successful relationships within their family
• Asking for forgiveness
• Understanding the possibility of a relapse
• Building a plan to prevent relapse

The medical director of this program is a faculty member from the University of Florida Department of Psychiatry who is specially trained in the treatment of co-existing diagnosis.

Information

To learn more about Shands Vista, please call 352.265.5497.

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