4A. Creating a Treatment Plan

This part of the course focuses on mental health treatment when a patient has been admitted to a mental health facility. The first step taken by the psychiatric team is to work on creating a treatment plan.  The process looks like this: 

1. The team gathers as much information as possible to make a diagnosis.
2. The team then performs psychological, medical and social assessments to determine the patient’s needs. 
3. Then the team determines whether the patient can consent to voluntary treatment.
4. If the patient cannot consent to treatment, the team then decides who to contact next.

Mental health care teams usually have psychiatrists or psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists and social workers. When a patient arrives, most mental health teams make a treatment plan within 24 hours. The plan can change if the treatment team receives new information or the patient’s needs change.

For the most part, the goal of treatment is to get the patient back home in a way that’s safe for everyone. Whenever possible, the treatment team gets the patient’s opinion about the plan. 

If the patient cannot participate or doesn’t want to help plan the treatment, the care team should make note.