Research Spotlight: Prescribing of Benzodiazepines in a Homeless Veteran Population
Short description of the study goes here. And be sure to update the link below to the new spotlight page you just created.
Contact Information
One Bowdoin Square, 7th Floor
Boston,
MA
02114
Adult patients: 617-643-3997
Pediatric patients: 617-643-7257
Please note: We do NOT accept self-referrals. All patients must be are referred by a medical specialist or primary care physician.
Directions
Our center is located three blocks from the main entrance of Mass General. If you are driving directly to our building, set your GPS device to: 15 New Chardon Street.
Due to the length of the evaluations and cost of the nearby commercial garages, parking at the hospital garages is recommended. A free campus shuttle van may be requested at the Yawkey Lobby Information Desk which will be bring you to 25 New Chardon Street. Shuttles run from 8 am to 4 pm.
Evaluations in the Psychiatry Assessment Center (PAC) provide in-depth information regarding cognitive, behavioral and social-emotional functioning in order to establish diagnosis and inform treatment planning.
The Psychology Assessment Center receives referrals from a wide range of medical specialties, including neurology, psychiatry, primary care, pediatrics and oncology. We also provide educational liaison services for children, including school-based referrals for evaluations and school consultations.
You may be referred by your doctor for neuropsychological testing if you are experiencing problems in thinking, such as memory difficulties or trouble concentrating. Results of the evaluation can help clarify what your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to thinking and processing information. This may help your doctor understand your diagnosis more clearly or may help with treatment.
A neuropsychological evaluation consists of a 30- to 45-minute interview with a neuropsychologist or clinical fellow, the patient and, with the patient's permission, their family members or significant others. The testing will consist of written or one-on-one verbal tests and may include some tasks on a computer. The evaluation involves listening, writing, drawing or using a computer. There are no invasive procedures, no pain, no needles or electrodes.
Depending upon the patient’s age and referral questions you should expect the evaluation to last between three and five hours.
Prior to the appointment, please eat as normal. If applicable, bring or wear your eyeglasses, hearing aids and take your medications as normal. During the testing, you will be allowed to take short breaks as needed. In addition, because the testing will require mental effort, you may feel fatigued when it is over and should take this into consideration when scheduling any other appointments or activities before or after your evaluation.
Questions may be addressed to your referring doctor or to our center.
The list below is a sample of the types of disorders for which the Psychology Assessment Center receives referrals.
* Pediatric and adult patients
Additional testing is available through the Psychological Evaluation and Research Laboratory (PEaRL), which conducts clinical assessments and research.
Neuropsychologists within the Mass General Psychology Assessment Center (PAC) are specialists with extensive training and experience conducting neuropsychological assessments across the lifespan. We consult and collaborate with referring providers to ensure that our evaluations address the individual needs and specific concerns of each patient.
Janet Sherman, PhD
Clinical Director
Chief Neuropsychologist
Adult Clinical Neuropsychologist
Associate Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Lauren Pollak, PhD, ABPP-CN
Director of Adult Clinical Services
Adult Clinical Neuropsychologist
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Margaret Pulsifer, PhD
Director of Pediatric Clinical Services
Director, Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychology
Lifespan Clinical Neuropsychologist
Associate Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Medical specialists or primary care physicians make referrals for neuropsychological and psychological evaluation. We do NOT accept self-referrals. All patients are referred back to their specialists for treatment.
If you would like to use your health insurance to cover the cost of the evaluation, you should call your insurance company to ask if neuropsychological testing is a covered benefit under your specific health plan. Some insurance plans will require the testing psychologist to submit clinical information together with the referring specialist for review before authorizing the evaluations. Other insurance plans may not require authorization but could deny coverage if the completed evaluation does not support the medical necessity requirement per your health insurance’s guidelines.
If you have been referred for the purpose of diagnosing learning disabilities, be aware that most insurance companies will not cover intellectual, academic, cognitive or neuropsychological testing. For school age children, local special education departments may cover the cost of an independent educational evaluation if your family qualifies. In such cases, a letter must be submitted by the parent or guardian indicating the school system’s approval to cover the cost before the appointment process can proceed.
The following are possible resources for parents and other care providers in Massachusetts that provide information about special education and distance learning as well as mental health support during COVID-19:
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
COVID-19 page: http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/
The Federation for Children with Special Needs
Phone: 617-236-7210; 800-331-0688 (in MA)
Email: fcsninfo@fcsn.org
Website: http://www.fcsn.org
Massachusetts Advocates for Children
Phone: 617-357-843
Website: www.massadvocates.org
COVID-19 page: https://www.massadvocates.org/covid19
Special Needs Advocacy Network, Inc.
Phone: 508-655-7999
Email: info@spanmass.org
Website: www.spanmass.org
Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress
Phone: 781-221-0024
Email: mdsc@mdsc.org
Website: www.mdsc.org
COVID-19 page: https://mdsc.org/infojustforyou/Covid19.cfm
The Arc of Massachusetts
Phone: 781-891-6270
Email: arcmass@arcmass.org
Website: www.thearcofmass.org
COVID-19 page: https://thearcofmass.org/covid19
Epilepsy Foundation
Phone: 301-459-3700
Email: contactus@efa.org
Website: www.epilepsy.com
COVID-19 page: https://www.epilepsy.com/article/2020/3/concerns-about-covid-19-coronavirus-and-epilepsy
Autism Society of America
Phone: 800-328-8476
Email: info@autismsociety.org
Website: www.autism-society.org
COVID-19 page: https://www.autism-society.org/covid-19/
Asperger/Autism Network (AANE)
Phone: 617-393-3824
Email: info@aane.org
Website: https://www.aane.org/
Mass General for Children
How to Talk to Your Child About COVID-19
https://www.massgeneral.org/children/infectious-diseases/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-coronavirus
Children’s Mental Health Campaign
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Email: cchelo@mspcc.org
Website: www.childrensmentalhealthcampaign.org
COVID-19 page: https://childrensmentalhealthcampaign.org/resources/covid-19-resources
Mass General Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds
Website: https://www.mghclaycenter.org/
COVID-19 page: https://www.mghclaycenter.org/tag/covid-19/
Judge Baker Children’s Center
Email: info@jbcc.harvard.edu
Website: https://jbcc.harvard.edu
COVID-19 page: https://jbcc.harvard.edu/covid-19
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Phone: 800-950-6264
Email: info@nami.org
Website: www.nami.org
How to Ease Children’s Anxiety About COVID-19: https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/March2020/How-to-Ease-Children-s-Anxiety-About-COVID-19
Interface, Mental Health Referral Helpline
William James College, Interface Referral Service
Monday-Friday 9 am to 5 pm
Phone: 888-244-6843
For accurate information about the current COVID-19 crisis–including what to do if you are ill and how to protect yourself, as well as information about stress and coping:
Alzheimer’s Association
Phone: 800-272-3900 (24/7 helpline)
Website: www.alz.org
COVID-19 page: https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/coronavirus-(covid-19)-tips-for-dementia-care
American Parkinson Disease Foundation
Phone: 800-223-2732
Email: apda@apdaparkinson.org
Website: www.apdaparkinson.org
COVID-19 page: https://www.apdaparkinson.org/article/covid-19-overview-for-pd-community/
Epilepsy Foundation
Phone: 301-459-3700
Email: contactus@efa.org
Website: www.epilepsy.com
COVID-19 page: https://www.epilepsy.com/article/2020/3/concerns-about-covid-19-coronavirus-and-epilepsy
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration
Phone: 866-507-7222 (help line)
Email: info@theaftd.org
Website: www.theaftd.org
COVID-19 page: https://www.theaftd.org/living-with-ftd/covid-19-and-ftd/
Autism Society of America
Phone: 800-328-8476
Email: info@autismsociety.org
Website: www.autism-society.org
COVID-19 page: https://www.autism-society.org/covid-19/
Asperger/Autism Network (AANE)
Main Office: 51 Water Street, Suite 206, Watertown, MA 02472
Phone: 617-393-3824
Email: https://www.aane.org
American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc.
Phone: 888-852-3456
Email: hello@autoimmune.org
Website: https://autoimmune.org
COVID-19 page: https://autoimmune.org/resource-center/covid-19/
American Cancer Society
Phone: 800-227-2345
Website: https://www.cancer.org
COVID-19 page: https://www.cancer.org/about-us/what-we-do/coronavirus-covid-19-and-cancer.html
American Brain Tumor Association
Phone: 800-8860-ABTA (2282)
Website: https://www.abta.org
American Stroke Association
Phone: 800-242-8721
Website: www.stroke.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Phone: 800-950-6264
Email: info@nami.org
Website: www.nami.org
COVID-19 page: https://www.nami.org/covid-19
Interface, Mental Health Referral Helpline
William James College, Interface Referral Service
Monday-Friday 9 am to 5 pm
Phone: 888-244-6843
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Phone: 800-273-TALK (8255)
Website: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
COVID-19 page: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/current-events/supporting-your-emotional-well-being-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/
For 80 years, Mass General's Psychiatry Department has provided the highest quality patient care through pioneering research.
The Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Mass General for Children provides comprehensive psychiatric services for children and teens.
Short description of the study goes here. And be sure to update the link below to the new spotlight page you just created.
Results from a new neuroimaging study could be used to enhance wellbeing and inform interventions for mental health conditions.
What are the benefits of this more widespread adaption of telehealth services for psychiatry, and what barriers still need to be addressed?
Heated yoga sessions led to reduced depressive symptoms in adults with moderate-to-severe depression.
We challenged Dr. Gilman to break down the title of her recent research paper, Identification of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) impairment using functional brain imaging.
Election to the NAM is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
The integration of patient care and clinical research has been a hallmark of the Department of Psychiatry for more than 30 years. Today, the department has the largest clinical research program in the hospital, with studies at the forefront of neuroscience, molecular biology and genetics.