25.9.2009

Mental Health

From mood changes to mental health problems

It is normal for life problems and difficulties to have an effect on a person's mind. If the effects continue and impair daily coping, you may turn to your own health care station.

Mental Health Services in Turku

The primary point of treatment is your own health station. If necessary, the patient is referred to an assessment in the psychiatric specialized care. The health stations are responsible for the mental health problems prevention, the symptoms identification and the treatment of the most usual, minor psychiatric diseases such as depression, panic attacks and non-serious life crises. Mental health services are provided also by maternity and child health clinics, the school health care, the social welfare sector and by the elderly home care.

Specialized Care in Turku

Seeking treatment requires a referral from the person's own health care station or the assessement by the on-call health care service tel. 10023.

The need for psychiatric specialized care is assessed first at the person's own health care station. If there is an obvious need for treatment, the patient will be referred to the Turku Psychiatry and he or she will be given an appointment time within 3 weeks by post. In urgent cases the appointment will be given immediately. The first appointment is for assessing the need for treatment and agreeing on the treatment plan. The Turku Psychiatry provides specialized psychiatric care for the adolescents, adults and the elderly. The outpatient clinic provides short or long-term psychotherapy, life crises management, drugs and alcohol withdrawal services. If the outpatient services are not adequate, the patient is further referred to the psychiatric ward in hospital.

The Turku University Central Hospital psychiatric outpatient clinics and hospital wards provide treatment for the most difficult or rare psychiatric diseases. By referral only.