The
Mood and Anxiety Ambulatory Services provide ambulatory services to clients
with mood and anxiety disorders. Psychiatrists, social workers,
occupational therapist, psychologist, nurses, psychometrist and researchers
staff the program. MAAS is also a training clinic for psychiatry, psychology,
social work and occupational therapy graduate students. MAAS is a specialty
service providing evidence-based clinical care, education and research. The
MAAS inter-professional team offers consultations, time-limited treatment and
follow-up, education and services for families. All clients receive a
psychiatric consultation. Following this, group therapy may or may not be
recommended. The groups are two-hour
sessions once a week, in a group of up to 12 individuals sharing similar
concerns. The groups range from 8-15 weeks in length.
Most of our groups are based on cognitivebehaviour therapy (CBT). CBT is a structured, goal-oriented treatment that
emphasizes the “here and now” rather than the past. In CBT sessions, clients
learn effective skills and strategies to better manage current symptoms of
anxiety and/or depression, and prevent future relapse. Clients are expected to
complete weekly homework in order to apply the skills that are learned in
therapy in their everyday life. CBT is used in this clinic for disorder
specific group treatment of social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety
disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and major depressive disorder/dysthymia.
We also offer a transdiagnostic anxiety disorders group for clients with multiple
anxiety disorders, as well as a group for clients with primary
depression/dysthymia, and secondary anxiety disorder(s).
The
group for bipolar disorder focuses
on CBT and Interpersonal Treatment (IPT) interventions and psychoeducation.
This program includes mood monitoring and stabilization, symptom identification
& management, challenging negative thoughts processes, increasing adaptive
coping, interpersonal communication, and relapse prevention. Clients are
expected to complete homework to practice and reinforce skills learned in group
and apply them to their everyday life.
For
patients with bipolar depression, MAAS has an integrated care pathway where time
limited care composed of both psychopharmacological and psychosocial
intervention is provided. Bipolar patients, currently depressed and interested
to participate in a comprehensive treatment plan can be referred via usual
referral routes to the service for assessment and suitability. Patients to the
integrated care pathway can be referred both internally and from community
sources, via Access CAMH.
Interpersonal
therapy (IPT) is also used for some clients with major depressive disorder. This group
is designed to reduce
depressive symptoms triggered and exacerbated by interpersonal difficulties,
promote effective communication and generate solutions to interpersonal
problems. Clients discuss and improve the quality of personal, family, and
workplace relationships as affected by depression and other stressors. Clients
are expected to complete homework and selected exercises to practice and
reinforce skills and apply them to their everyday life.
If suitable, clients may be
offered an opportunity to participate in research spanning basic science to
direct patient care. Particular research interests include early intervention
and exploring the gene/environment interaction.
Clients can access the Mood and
Anxiety Ambulatory Services as follows:
- A
referral (PDF) should be
completed by a Family Physician, Nurse Practitioner, or Psychiatrist. If the
referral is completed by a Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner, the
Psychiatrist needs to be aware, when applicable.
- The
completed referral should be faxed along with any pertinent information, i.e.,
psychiatric reports, lab work to the ACCESS CAMH fax line: 416-979-6815.
- The
referral will be reviewed by Access CAMH Intake Coordinators and this may also
include a brief telephone screening, or request for more information from the
referring physicians.
Note: The pages that formerly
contained the Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Mood Disorders Clinic, and CBT clinic
now redirect here.