Assessing Patient Behavioral Health (BH) Needs

Community Collaboration

Providers who have succeeded in achieving admission to BH facilities for their patients with BD reported that their pre-existing relationships with these facilities enabled them to secure placements for their patients. Therefore, BD SUMHAC recommends that providers who work with people with BD cultivate relationships with community BH providers and organizations and introduce them to the BD community. As you reach out to local MH and SUD facilities, offer basic education about BD, including the various treatment options (i.e., prophylaxis vs. on-demand, infusion vs. injection), and determine whether they will accept patients with BD. This education will help mitigate concerns from the facility staff that BD are too medically complex and cannot be managed at their facility. Additionally, providers of people with BD should become familiar with the types of insurance each local BH program accepts. 

Consider developing relationships with:

• Inpatient and residential SUD treatment facilities

• Inpatient and residential MH treatment facilities

• Emergency department staff

• Hospital social workers and/or discharge planners

• Addiction medicine specialists

• Outpatient SUD and MH treatment programs

• Medication assisted therapy (MAT) providers/methadone treatment centers

• Psychiatrists, counselors, and therapists

• Alcoholics anonymous (AA) and narcotics anonymous (NA) programs

• Primary care providers