Department of Psychiatry

The collaboration between Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital (YNHPH) has resulted in the translation of world-leading research to patient-centered care. Pioneers in the laboratories and in the clinics are transforming lives through the Interventional Psychiatric Services (IPS). IPS is the culmination of research and clinical practice to provide patients who have not been successful with more traditional treatments an opportunity for a better life. IPS includes comprehensive, specialty consultations, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), Ketamine Infusion Therapy (KIT) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Click on the Yale Psychiatry logo above to view a video about the service.

Parkinson disease not only affects a person's mobility, but also many other symptoms in a person with Parkinson disease life. Depression is a very common symptom caused by Parkinson disease, and adequate treatment is imperative for patients to feel their best. Through collaborations between Drs. Sophie E. Holmes and Gerard Sanacora of Psychiatry and the Movement Disorders group, researchers are conducting the first clinical trial of ketamine as an antidepressant in PD. Due to how it works in the brain – its ability to help form new synapses – they have strong reason to believe it will effectively treat depression, and possibly other symptoms, in PD. Using brain imaging before and after treatment will help to determine how it works in the brains of people with Parkinson’s for the first time. The trial is taking place at the Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital. In this video, hear more about the trial from Drs. Holmes and Sanacora and from Brenda, who talks about her experience participating in this groundbreaking research.