Life Poortview Hospital, with dedicated mental healthcare facility specialising in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, celebrated its second anniversary on 2 June.
According to the hospital’s clinic manager Dr Marinda Overbeek, the hospital also specialises in treatment of substance-dependent patients or other addictions that are associated with these psychiatric disorders.
Overbeek said the hospital is a member of the Life Healthcare Group and their treatment programmes are facilitated by their multidisciplinary team. “The hospital has been developed to achieve optimal outcomes through the short-term treatment of mental healthcare users in a tranquil and therapeutic environment conducive to the recovery of their facilities.”
She said the hospital has 80 modern beds and has been specifically designed and decorated to foster a sense of peace and tranquility to assist users in their recovery. The facility houses private and semi-private rooms accommodating 30 voluntarily admitted female users and 30 voluntarily admitted male users.
“We have a 15-bed ward for assisted admissions, a five-bed secured ward with observation facility and an electro-convulsive therapy facility,” Overbeek explained.
She also said that the hospital has individual and group therapy rooms, lounges, TV, family visitation rooms and dining rooms with catering services. “We have private courtyards and gardens, recreational facilities and treatment programmes for psychiatric disorders.”
She explained that treatment programmes for psychiatric disorders are based on cognitive-behavioural principles and are designed to provide comprehensive and holistic treatment in order to facilitate recovery in people affected by mood and anxiety disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, delusional disorders and addiction treatment.
“Our mental healthcare programmes also include a treatment programme to assist users whose functioning has become further impaired either as a result of their dependency on psychoactive substances or any other addiction associated with their mental disorder. This intervention programme is aimed at breaking the cycle of addiction through detoxifying the user while implementing an intensive cognitive behavioural psychotherapy programme,”said Overbeek.
She added that the primary goal is to interrupt the cycle of addiction and to foster maintenance of abstinence.
