Through the Acute Psychiatry Service (APS), the Mass General Department of Psychiatry has provided consultation to emergency patients since the 1950s. With our 24-hour service, we are equipped to handle psychiatric emergencies around the clock and typically see 6,000 patients a year.
Our Goals: Stabilization & Referral
We focus solely on patients with emergency psychiatric conditions. Our main objectives are to stabilize the individual and then refer him or her to appropriate follow-up treatment, either within Mass General or elsewhere.
The APS is staffed by attending psychiatrists with expertise spanning many areas, including addiction treatment, child psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine. Our multidisciplinary team also comprises the following professionals, who help our psychiatrists to assess and determine the best treatment plan for each patient:
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Psychiatric residents
Psychologists
Psychology interns
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Nurse practitioners
Clinical nurse specialists
Child & adolescent psychiatry fellows
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Social workers
Case managers
Security personnel
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Treatment at APS
Please be aware that we are unable to provide treatment by phone or by appointment. All care takes place on a face-to-face basis in our dedicated area within the Emergency Department.
Due to the high volume of emergency patients at Mass General, we encourage you to access other resources if you do not need emergency psychiatric care. You may also contact Outpatient Psychiatric Services at 617-724-7792.
Child & Adolescent Consultation
The Child and Adolescent Consultation Service to Pediatrics consults with the pediatric staff on appropriate diagnosis and treatment for patients and thier families. Learn more
Felicia Smith, MD, has directed our program since 2008. Dr. Smith trained in adult psychiatry at Mass General, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and completed a fellowship in psychosomatic medicine at Mass General. Her clinical and research interests center on the interface between medicine and psychiatry.
Education & Research Efforts
As part of one of the country's premier academic psychiatry departments, the APS is committed to excellence in clinical care, education and research.
We serve as one of the key training sites for the Mass General-McLean Psychiatry Residency Program. In addition, students from Harvard Medical School and beyond undertake their advanced rotations here. As a result, patients are evaluated by world-class attending psychiatrists along with the best and brightest from the next generation in the field.
