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Nursing Homes are Turning Away Patients With Mental Health Issues

by Daniel D. Sewell, MD, Director, Senior Behavioral Health, UC San Diego Medical Center

Chemical restraint is a serious problem in nursing homes. History has shown that psychotropic medications tend to be overused in order to keep residents with problem behaviors such as wandering or combativeness subdued or “under control.” In other words, there are documented instances when serious psychiatric drugs are given to people who might not have needed them… Although this system was created with good intentions, as a geriatric psychiatrist I see the negative consequences firsthand.

(Read: Care For Your Mind blog)

Care For Your Mind acknowledges and appreciates the collaboration of the National Network of Depression Centers and the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry in developing this post.

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The National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC) was established in 2008 to mobilize collaborative expertise to counteract the public health crisis of depression, bipolar illnesses, and other mood disorders. The NNDC is a nonprofit network of academic medical centers dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by depression and related mood disorders. We are working to change the national conversation surrounding these illnesses through large-scale collaborative studies, education and outreach.

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