The main function of this clinic is to provide diagnostic services to children and adolescents between the ages of 4 and 18 years, with suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This condition is widely regarded as the most prevalent psychiatric/behavioral disorder of childhood. A significant number of ADHD patients live with other psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorder and autism. Untreated ADHD is often associated with school problems, conduct disorder, and, in some cases, substance abuse.

Patients receive a standardized and a comprehensive physical, neuropsychological, and psychiatric assessment. The total duration of the evaluation is 5 to 6 hours.
Cases for ongoing treatment are accepted depending on such factors as distance from the clinic, availability of local resources, presence of family support, etc.

The ASD are a group of disorders which begin in early childhood, often as early as 2-3 years of age. Affected individuals present with social and communication problems with a tendency to focus excessively on certain topics or behaviors. Sometimes referred to as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), these conditions often persist throughout the lifespan.

Categories: The main categories are autism and Asperger syndrome. When an individual does not show all the symptoms of autism or Asperger syndrome, the label of Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS) is used.

Comorbidity: Most of the referred patients also live with other psychiatric and behavioral symptoms, such as hyperactivity, depression and anxiety. 

Evaluation: Diagnosis is reached after a comprehensive multi-disciplinary assessment consisting of  neuropsychological testing, speech and language evaluation, a semi-structured interview of the caregivers, direct observation of the patient, and a full medical/psychiatric examination.

The Child OCD & Anxiety Disorders Program (COAP) offers individualized clinical treatment services for children and their families, conducts innovative research aimed at better diagnosing and treating anxiety, and provides training for future mental healthcare professionals. Our interdisciplinary clinical team is staffed with child psychiatrists, child psychologists, social workers and researchers, all of whom specialize in the recognition, assessment and treatment of pediatric anxiety and related disorders, such as tics.

The goal of the Crisis Support Clinic is to offer acute psychiatric care services and support as patients make the transition from hospital services to a provider in the community. The clinic strives to provide timely appointments for patients post-discharge from hospital services. The hospital service schedules the initial appointment in the clinic directly for additional ease in the discharge process. The clinic is designed for short-term stabilization and bridging services while ongoing care is being arranged and transferred to a provider in the patient’s community. These goals are typically met within one to three months of care within the Crisis Support Clinic.

The Infant & Early Childhood Clinic is available to parents of young children (1 to 6 years old) who exhibit challenging behaviors, including children with:

• High levels of anxiety
• Difficulty in regulation (feeding, sleeping, self-soothing)
• Aggressive behaviors
• Developmental concerns (language, socialization)

Other children who benefit from these services are those:

• Who are in foster care or have a history of early relationship disruptions or losses
• Who are having difficulties with custody/visitation arrangements because of foster care or parental separation/divorce
• Whose families have experienced a traumatic event
• Whose parents themselves struggle with illness

The MC3 program provides no-cost psychiatry support to prescribing outpatient health care providers in Michigan who are managing patients with behavioral/mental health concerns. This includes children, adolescents, young adults through age 26, and women who are contemplating pregnancy, pregnant, or postpartum (up to one year). Psychiatrists are available for same-day phone consultations to offer guidance on diagnostic questions, medication recommendations, and appropriate psychotherapy. MC3 also provides a range of additional services, resources, and educational opportunities to support health care providers in Michigan in the treatment of their pediatric and perinatal patients.

The Trauma and Grief Clinic provides trauma-informed assessment, intervention, consultation and community outreach to children and adolescents between the ages of 7-17 years and families who anticipate or have significant histories of traumatic- and/or grief-exposed circumstances, to promote understanding of responses and healing. 

The treatment resistant disorder clinic provides services to adolescents and children who suffer from severe mood disorders (depression or bipolar disorder) and psychotic disorders that have failed to respond to conventional treatment. Patients receive a comprehensive evaluation with specific attention to co-existing conditions that may interfere with treatment response. Some patients in this clinic may be offered treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). ECT is generally initiated during a brief hospitalization after the completion of additional evaluations and under the supervision of highly skilled clinicians. Close follow-up is provided throughout treatment, at which point patients return to the care of their outside provider.