Psychiatry
College of Charleston Psychiatry Policy
A part time psychiatrist is available for consultation to students. Most often, individuals are already actively engaged in counseling at The Counseling Center.
The psychiatrist provides evaluation, education, and medication management while psychotherapy and substance abuse treatment are provided by our counselors at The Counseling Center, or by an outside counselor if the student has a prior working relationship with a counselor outside The Counseling Center. The combination of medication and therapy is often most effective. If a student is doing well and has a previous, established working relationship with a psychiatrist, we recommend they maintain care for the student if possible, even if out of state, since that provider knows the student’s condition the best.
Psychiatric Services are provided to students in a manner consistent with a collaborate care treatment model.
Our goal is to work with students to help stabilize their acute mental health needs. Once a condition is stabilized, our psychiatrist will supervise a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner located at Student Health Services, who will take over providing additional on-going care. If there is a change in status with the student’s mental health needs, the student can be directly referred back to see our psychiatrist by the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. If after working with our psychiatrist for several visits there is not considerable progress made in alleviating the student’s mental health concerns, we may recommend referral to an alternative psychiatrist in the community who can provide additional resources not available within a collaborative care model, primarily more frequent visits and longer term care beyond the student’s enrollment at the college. If this occurs, we will assist students in finding treatment in the community.
Prescriptions for controlled substances (those medications regulated by the DEA due to risk of abuse) are generally not written.
If they are prescribed, then close monitoring and completion of a controlled substance agreement will be required. Infrequently, sedative hypnotics will be considered on a short-term, as needed basis only while other medications and/or therapy are started. They will not be prescribed long-term. At this time, we generally do not prescribe psychostimulants such as Adderall or Ritalin. With our psychiatrist’s limited availability as well as limited time and resources to complete evaluation and on-going management of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), this is not a service we are able to offer at this time. However, we will assist in providing information on outside providers in the Greater Charleston area who do provide evaluation and treatment for ADHD.
For psychiatric treatment to be effective, we require that students attend their scheduled appointments and come to follow-up appointments in the recommended time frame. While we understand students are very busy, if a student misses or reschedules 3 sessions they may be considered for referral to a psychiatrist off-campus. Refills are only provided for students who are currently active in treatment.
For more information, please call 843.953.5640.
You may also want to visit the websites below to learn about various mental health concerns students have and how counseling and medication can help.
ULifeline
JED Foundation
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Active Minds
Suicide Prevention Lifeline
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Medline Plus
https://medlineplus.gov/teenmentalhealth.html
Half of Us
Mental Health America