The MGH Acute Psychiatry Service (APS) is located within the MGH Emergency Department. We are a 24-hour state-of-the-art service that provides diagnosis and treatment of acute psychiatric and neuropsychiatric emergencies to about 5,000 patients per year.

The APS provides care through a multi-disciplinary approach; attending psychiatrists, psychiatric residents, psychologists, psychology interns, psychiatric nurses, clinical nurse specialists, child and adolescent psychiatry fellows, and social workers work side-by-side to provide the best possible mental health care for patients of all ages.

As part of the MGH Department of Psychiatry, one of the premier psychiatry departments in the country, the APS is committed to providing outstanding patient care, education, and research. Please be aware that the APS is unable to provide treatment by phone; all care is coordinated through face-to-face visits. Unfortunately, due to the high volume in the Emergency Department, patients in the APS may sometimes experience long wait times. For this reason, we have included alternative resources (see links on column to the left) in Boston for mental health care and referral for those patients who do not require a visit to the Emergency Department.

Christine Finn, M.D., Interim Director
Laura Prager, M.D., Director of Child and Adolescent Acute Psychiatry Service