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The Penn State Health Approach to Mental Health and Psychiatry

It’s not unusual to feel sad, anxious or more emotional at times — that’s a normal part of life. But when your feelings affect your ability to function at home or work or impact your relationships, it’s essential to seek help.

The behavioral health experts at Penn State Health have advanced experience helping people feel better. Just like a medical condition, it’s important to get help early to prevent serious problems. Our compassionate, expert team offers care for the full range of mental health conditions — from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and psychosis. As an academic medical center, we’re at the forefront of mental health advancements. That means you get the latest, proven approaches from knowledgeable, skilled mental health professionals.

You don’t have to go through this alone. We offer personal attention and a treatment plan to improve how you feel as quickly as possible.

Complete Care for a Full Range of Mental Health and Psychiatric Conditions

We offer a full range of mental health services for people of all ages, including specialized programs for children and teens. We partner with Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute (PPI) to offer comprehensive care in a variety of settings — including inpatient treatment, day programs, outpatient counseling, individual and group therapy and more. We offer programs for substance use disorders, mood disorders, intellectual problems and many others.

Whatever you’re facing, we develop a treatment just for you — there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to mental health and well-being. Our specialists draw from a wealth of programs, services and resources to make sure you get complete care. We help you gain the tools to manage your emotions and behaviors and gain a greater sense of control and well-being.

Support Groups

Support groups provide an opportunity to share your feelings and connect with other patients and caregivers who are experiencing similar struggles.

Learn more about support groups offered

Why Choose Penn State Health for Mental Health and Psychiatry

Central Pennsylvania families depend on our advanced mental health expertise to get the care they need. We offer a full spectrum of care you can only find at a university-affiliated health system like Penn State Health.

Complete Mental Health and Psychiatric Care

When you or someone you love is facing a mental health crisis, you want a team you can trust. These are just a few reasons why people count on us:

• Our experienced professionals are at the forefront of mental health research. Our advanced knowledge and experience let us offer proven, personalized treatments.
• We provide care where and when it’s needed — in the hospital or an outpatient setting, and through one-on-one counseling, group therapy, leading-edge approaches and more.
• We offer specialized programs — from treatments designed for children and teens, older adults and Hispanics to programs that focus on substance abuse, eating disorders, psychosis and more.

Expert, Team-Based Care Designed for You

Our psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, nurses, therapists, social workers and other mental health professionals provide compassionate care and support for a wide range of behavioral health problems.

Mental health conditions can be related to other health problems, so we work as a team with doctors in a variety of specialties to ensure you get complete care, such as cancer, neurology, rehabilitation and therapy, pain management, palliative care and more.

Mental Health and Psychiatry Research and Clinical Trials

Since 1971, Penn State Health has been researching mental illness. We continue to pursue breakthroughs that can enhance our understanding and improve therapies and treatment methods. Our research efforts include behavioral neuroimaging, molecular neuropharmacology, sleep research and treatment, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, substance abuse and more. Find out if a clinical trial is right for you.

Related Services and Treatments

• Child TiPS
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
• Hispanic psychiatric programs
• Inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care
• Individual, group and family therapy
• Music therapy
• Opioid treatment
• Partial (day) hospitalization care
• Perinatal TiPS

Conditions Treated

• Anxiety and phobias
• Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
• Conduct disorders
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Intellectual or developmental disabilities
• Learning disorders
• Memory disorders
• Mood disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Psychosis
• Schizophrenia
• Sleep disorders
• Substance use disorders