St Louis Mental Health Offers information about the mental health initiatives in St. Louis, MO.

St Louis Mental Health

Articles : St Louis Mental Health



St Louis Mental Health Articles




St. Louis Mental Health

St. Louis began as a French settlement in the mid 1700s and in the mid 1800s literally became the “Gateway to the West”. It was the starting point for the Lewis and Clark expedition and in later years for many pioneers and miners on their way to the gold rush in California. However, although many sojourners used the city as a stepping-stone to a new beginning, many succumbed to the magnetism and vitality of St. Louis. When the city was incorporated in 1809, St. Louisans numbered near 1200. Today the city has a population of about 350,000.

Because of its prestigious colleges and hospitals, St. Louis is well respected as a center of medicine and biotechnology. However, even more remarkable is the innovation and determination of government, citizens, and health care providers to provide the best in mental health alternatives for St. Louis residents.

Missouri is one of the few states that still maintains state facilities for the care and treatment of mental disorders. In St. Louis, the Missouri Dept of Public Health operates the Metropolitan St. Louis Psychiatric Center (MPC), Hawthorn Children Psychiatric Hospital and the St. Louis Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center (SLPRC).

The Malcolm Bliss Psychopathic Institute was founded in 1938 and integrated into the St. Louis Hospital System. In 1964, the institution was renamed the Malcolm Bliss Mental Health Center and was rededicated as a Missouri Department of Health facility. Rechristened as the Metropolitan St. Louis Psychiatric Center (MPC) in 1996, the MPC proudly continues to serve the citizens of St. Louis. 

Hawthorn Children Psychiatric Hospital is St. Louis’s state-run psychiatric facility for children. In addition to 36 inpatient beds, Hawthorn also maintains a 24 bed residential unit and 16 slots for day treatment. Hawthorn provides mental health services for children ages six through seventeen who reside in a 31 county region of Eastern Missouri.

St. Louis Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center (SLPRC, formerly St. Louis State Hospital) has been a part of the community for over 130 years. As well as a four-ward hospital, the SLPRC also maintains 14 residential cottages where it provides long-term inpatient care to adults with severe and chronic mental disorders. The Center also serves as an evaluation facility for patients requiring forensic evaluation.

St. Louisans are used to people caring about people. The city is divided into 81 neighborhoods where the social and political influence of neighborhood identity runs to the heart of the city. Many neighborhoods have worked to retain their distinct characteristics as well as a robust sense of camaraderie, shown brilliantly as St. Louis citizens were spurred to find Places for People.

In 1972, budget cuts forced the discharge of hundreds of patients from St. Louis State Hospital. For many, the only options were nursing homes or board and care homes. The indigent were faced with the possibility of life on the streets. The non-profit Places for People (PfP) was established to help the displaced integrate into the community and lead normal, independent lives. Working closely with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, PfP rented, furnished, and made apartments available to these former patients. Places for People was one of the first programs of its kind in the nation. Today, PfP assists over 300 people in the St. Louis area with a variety of programs, providing 24-hour community support services and psychosocial rehabilitation including:

The Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis is the city’s oldest nonprofit organization, working both to promote awareness of mental health issues and to help the mentally ill through:

St. Louis VA Medical Center - John Cochran Division

The St. Louis VAMC is a full-service health care facility and is notably one of the few Veterans’ facilities that, among its specialties, treat the mental disorders and emotional problems of US veterans.

Barnes Jewish Hospital is ranked as the sixth best US hospital on the US News 2005 Honor Roll. Its neurology and neurosurgery services are ranked #8 in the country and the psychiatric department is ranked #15. Some of the hospital’s mental health specialties include:

SLU care specialists at Saint Louis University Hospital are trained to serve the needs of adults experiencing emotional or mental disorders. Services are provided on an inpatient or outpatient basis through the hospital’s Adult Inpatient Treatment Program and Geriatric Psychiatry for older adults facing problems unique to their age group.

SLU Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry also conducts clinical trials in:

St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute offers comprehensive treatment to meet the individual needs of children, adolescents, adults, older adults, and their families suffering from emotional and behavioral problems. The Institute is an academic affiliate of Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center.

The neuropsychology services of St. John’s Mercy provide comprehensive assessment of adult and adolescent patients with known or suspected neurological conditions that affect cognitive and/or emotional functioning.  St. John's Mercy Behavioral Health offers behavioral health services including:

St. Louis Children’s

The neurological specialists at St. Louis Children's Hospital provide care for infants, children and adolescents with neurological diseases. St. Louis Children's Hospital's affiliation with Washington University School of Medicine keeps treatments and programs on the leading edge.

As well as neurological disorders caused by physical problems, the specialists diagnose and treat:

Working together with St. Louis Children's Hospital, the William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry offers comprehensive outpatient services for all children from infancy to age 18. Services include diagnosis and treatment of:

In addition to their well-staffed neurology and psychiatry departments, Children’s staff of 11 psychologists specializes in evaluation and treatment of many disorders including:

  1. Adjustment to illness issues
  2. Disruptive behavior disorders
  3. Parent-child conflicts
  4. Children ages 0–5 with medical or developmental concerns
  5. Anxiety
  6. Depression
  7. Adolescent issues
  8. Pain management
  9. Autism
  10. Pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs)
  11. Learning disabilities
  12. ADHD
  13. Rehabilitation psychology

See Also:

St. Louis Mental Health Clinics