Psychiatry

British Columbia Neuropsychiatry Program

Who We Are

Program staff include neuropsychiatrists, a behavioral neurologist, general practitioners, psychologists, nurses, health care workers, psychometrists, occupational therapists, social workers, recreational therapists, rehabilitation workers, physiotherapists, nutritionists, and support staff.

Who We See

Our clients include adults with brain injuries or diseases causing serious disturbances in behavior, mood, intellectual abilities or thinking processes, as well as those with psychiatric disorders that present as physical disease (somatoform disorders).

Patients seen include those with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, head injury, anoxic and metabolic brain injuries, Tourette's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, stroke, dementias and other disorders.

Who is Not Suitable for our Program?

We do not see patients with active medical-legal cases, nor provide independent assessment for medical-legal purposes.

What We Do

We are an interdisciplinary provincial program that partners with existing adult neuropsychiatric services in BC:

Neuropsychiatry Inpatient Unit: Hillside Centre, Kamloops
Neuropsychiatry Inpatient Unit: UBC Hospital, Vancouver
Neuropsychiatry Outpatient Clinic: UBC Hospital, Vancouver

We serve clients with mental illness associated with brain injury or disease.

Program Goals:

To coordinate neuropsychiatric services across the province to provide the best use of scarce resources, and ensure the care is patient centered.
To extend our skill in treating complex and difficult neuropsychiatric disorders to all areas of the province.
To develop cost-effective services that meet the needs of the province.
To improve neuropsychiatric care through education, including fellowship training in neuropsychiatry and neuropsychology, in-services, conferences and other ways of learning.

Program Objectives:

To maintain a partnership of existing adult neuropsychiatric services in BC, including Port Coquitlam, UBC Hospital, Vancouver Hospital.
To coordinate these services to ensure efficient, effective use of resources.
To create links with other facilities and community agencies.
To provide a comprehensive continuum of care for clients.
To prevent duplication of neuro- psychiatric services.

Referral Process

Please visit www.bcnp.ca web site for referral forms.

Who Can Refer:

Any Physician.
Any hospital or health agency in BC, Yukon & Northwest Territories.
Any Person can refer, but the referral package must include physician support.

How To Refer:

Inquire through the provincial coordinator 604.822.7369.
Request referral forms through the Program Secretary or downloaded by clicking on the link above.

To avoid unnecessary delays, please ensure that the referral form is completed fully and returned with relevant historical information. Referring physicians should clearly indicate the problems leading to referral and what they hope would be gained from a neuropsychiatric assessment.

Due to demand for services greatly exceeding available resources, referred clients should have previously completed psychiatric and neurologic evaluations.

Somatoform Disorders

Some people experience long-term, disabling, unexplained physical symptoms. These symptoms may be caused by conditions called somatoform disorders. Learn more about these disorders, including their causes, diagnosis, and treatment, in this brochure developed by the BC Neuropsychiatry Program.

Somatoform Disorders Brochure

Contact Us

BC Neuropsychiatry Program
VGH & UBC Hospitals
715 West 12th Avenue
Health Centre, 4th Floor East
Vancouver, BC V5ZT 1M9
Tel: 604-875-4023
Fax: 604-875-4987
Email: bcnp@vch.ca
Web: www.bcnp.ca

Reception Hours:
8:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday to Friday