Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Services

Seeking improved mental or emotional health? Ochsner offers psychiatry and behavioral health care conveniently located near your home or office.

Outpatient psychiatric care is available at these locations:

Baton Rouge Area

Ochsner Cancer Center - Baton Rouge
17050 Medical Center Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
225-761-5200

Ochsner Health Center - O'Neal
16777 Medical Center Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
225-761-5200

Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge
17000 Medical Center Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
225-752-2470

Ochsner Medical Complex - The Grove
10310 The Grove Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70836
225-761-5200

Bayou

Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center
1978 Industrial Blvd.
Houma, LA 70363
985-873-2200

Ochsner St. Anne Hospital
4608 Highway 1
Raceland, LA 70394
985-537-6841

Ochsner St. Mary Hospital
1125 Marguerite St.
Morgan City, LA 70380
985-384-2200

Ochsner Specialty Health Center - Raceland
141 Twin Oaks Drive
Raceland, LA 70394
985-537-2666

Kenner Area

River Place Behavioral Health
500 Rue de Sante
LaPlace, LA 70068
833-284-8485

St. Charles Parish Hospital
1057 Paul Maillard Road
Luling, LA 70070
985-785-6242

Lafayette Area

Ochsner Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital
1310 West 7th St.
Kaplan, LA 70548
337-643-8300

Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center
1214 Coolidge St.
Lafayette, LA 70503
337-289-7991

New Orleans Area

Ochsner Baptist - A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center
2700 Napoleon Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70115
504-899-9311

Ochsner Health Center - Metairie
2005 Veterans Memorial Blvd.
Metairie, LA 70002
504-836-9820

Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans*
1514 Jefferson Highway
New Orleans, LA 70121
504-842-3000

*This location offers geriatric and oncology psychiatry services.

St. Bernard Parish Hospital
8000 W. Judge Perez Drive
Chalmette, LA 70043
504-826-9500

North Louisiana

Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport - Academic Medical Center
1541 Kings Highway
Shreveport, LA 71103
318-626-0000

Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport - Louisiana Behavioral Health
9320 Linwood Ave.
Shreveport, LA 71106
318-644-8830

Northshore

Ochsner Health Center - Covington
1000 Ochsner Blvd.
Covington, LA 70433
985-875-2828

Ochsner Health Center - Mandeville
2810 East Causeway Approach
Mandeville, LA 7044
985-875-2340

Ochsner Medical Center - North Shore
100 Medical Center Drive
Slidell, LA 70461
985-649-7070

Ochsner Specialty Health Center One - Slidell
1850 Gause Blvd. East
Slidell, LA 70461
985-639-3777

Inpatient psychiatric care is available at these locations:

Bayou

Ochsner St. Anne Hospital
4608 Highway 1
Raceland, LA 70394
985-537-6841

Ochsner St. Mary Hospital
1125 Marguerite St.
Morgan City, LA 70380
985-384-2200
 

Kenner Area

River Place Behavioral Health
500 Rue de Sante
LaPlace, LA 70068
833-284-8485

St. Charles Parish Hospital
1057 Paul Maillard Road
Luling, LA 70070
985-785-6242

Lafayette Area

Ochsner Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital
1310 West 7th St.
Kaplan, LA 70548
337-643-8300

Ochsner Lafayette Behavioral Health
302 Dulles Drive
Lafayette, LA 70506
337-289-8595

Many appointments can even take place online. With virtual visits, you can talk with your care team from where it’s convenient for you, via a high-speed internet connection and computer or smartphone.

24/7 Assistance

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

You can experience mental health issues at any age or stage. That’s why we have experts who specialize in adolescent, adult and geriatric care.

A few reasons you may benefit from Ochsner’s psychiatry and behavioral health services include the following:

• Acute (sudden) or chronic (ongoing) medical illness
• Addictive disorders
• Anxiety
• Chronic psychiatric illness
• Depression
• Emotional effects of a medical illness or life change
• Failing relationships
• Habit disorders
• Learning disorders
• Medication-induced emotional disorders
• Organ transplantation

Managing your mental health requires an approach as unique as you. Through our comprehensive psychiatry and behavioral health services, your team develops a treatment plan custom-made for you.

Depending on your age, diagnosis and severity of symptoms, you may benefit from one or more of the following:

• Acute psychiatry services (inpatient hospitalization)
• Adult behavioral health services
• Brief evidence-based psychotherapy
• Child and adolescent behavioral health services
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavior therapy
• Electroconvulsive therapy
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
• Geriatric psychiatry services
• Individual, group or family therapy
• Medical psychiatry
• Medication management
• Ochsner Mental Wellness Program
• Ochsner Recovery Program
• Perinatal and postpartum behavioral healthcare
• Pre-surgical testing
• Psychiatric assessment and evaluation
• Psychological testing
• Psychotherapy

Licensed clinical psychologists, board-certified psychiatrists and others staff the psychiatry and behavioral health program at Ochsner. Each is an expert in meeting your mental health needs.

Your care team may include one or more of the following:

• Adult psychiatrists
• Child and adolescent psychiatrists
• Clinical psychologists
• Geriatric psychiatrists
• Licensed clinical social workers
• Medical psychologists
• Physician associates
• Psychiatric nurse practitioners

Additionally, as part of Ochsner, our experts partner with other specialists who care for your overall well-being. From neurologists to cardiologists to primary care doctors, we ensure a smooth continuum of care.

Psychologists specialize in talk therapy. Psychiatrists, on the other hand, utilize medication and other treatment modalities to care for mental health issues.

As a full-service psychiatry and behavioral health program, Ochsner offers both. We also provide some hard-to-find services. Advanced care options we can provide include:

• Electroconvulsive therapy. Bipolar disorder and severe depression don’t always respond to traditional treatments. That’s when electroconvulsive therapy can help. For this therapy, you are given medicine to prevent you from feeling pain before brief electrical impulses stimulate your brain. This stimulation can reverse symptoms of your mental health condition. Treatment lasts five or 10 minutes.
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). When depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) does not improve with other treatments, TMS may help. During a therapy session, a specialized device creates brief electromagnetic pulses. These stimulate nerve cells in the brain that are the root of depression or OCD. The whole process is painless and conducted in the outpatient clinic setting with no anesthesia.

Psychiatry and behavioral health are related, but they're not the same thing. Think of behavioral health as a big umbrella that covers all sorts of care for problems with thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Psychiatry is a part of behavioral health, focusing specifically on diagnosing and treating mental health issues using medicine, talking therapies or other treatments. Psychiatrists are doctors who specialize in this part of behavioral health, helping people get better when they're dealing with mental health challenges.

• Anxiety disorders: This is when people feel worried or scared about things more than usual, and it can make everyday situations tough to get through.
• Mood disorders: These affect your emotions and can make you feel sad (like in depression) or happy or energetic (like in bipolar disorder) for a long time.
• Psychotic disorders: When someone has these, they might see or hear things that aren’t there (hallucinations) or believe things that aren't true (delusions). Schizophrenia is one example.
• Eating disorders: This is when people have a hard time with food and eating behaviors, like eating too much or not enough, which can be harmful to their health.
• Addiction and substance use disorders: This happens when someone can't stop using something, even if it's causing them harm. It could be alcohol, drugs or even activities like gambling.
• Personality disorders: People with these disorders have patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that are different from what society expects and can cause problems in their life. One example is borderline personality disorder.
• Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders: This includes conditions where people have repeated thoughts (obsessions) and actions (compulsions) that they feel they must do, like washing their hands many times.

• Feeling sad or worried: Sometimes, people feel so down or anxious that it's hard for them to do everyday things. This is when they might talk to someone like a counselor to feel better.
• Eating problems: Some folks have a tough time with food, like eating too much or not enough, which can make them feel sick. They can get help to eat in healthier ways.
• Getting angry: Everyone gets mad sometimes, but if someone gets angry all the time and it causes problems at home or school, they might need to learn new ways to handle their temper.
• Addiction: This is when someone can't stop doing something, even if it's harming them, like drinking alcohol a lot or playing video games non-stop. There are people who can help them break these habits.
• Relationship troubles: Having problems with friends or family can make you feel bad. Talking to a professional can help sort out these issues.
• Stress from school or work: When homework, tests, or job tasks get overwhelming, it can make someone feel stressed out. Learning how to manage this stress is part of behavioral health.
• Behavioral health is about getting support for these and other challenges, so you can feel good and live your best life.

Psychiatry is a crucial part of mental healthcare. Psychiatrists are doctors who specialize in figuring out what's going on in someone's brain and feelings. They look at both the physical and emotional parts of mental health issues. Their job is to diagnose, which means they decide what kind of mental health challenge someone might have. Then, they come up with a plan to help, which can include talking therapies, medication or other treatments. They aim to make people feel better and help them handle their mental health challenges in the best way possible. With their expertise, psychiatrists play a big role in helping individuals lead happier and healthier lives.

Yes, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is considered part of behavioral health. It's a condition that affects how focused and calm a person can be. People with ADHD might find it hard to pay attention, sit still, or think before they act. Behavioral healthcare includes helping those with ADHD learn ways to manage these challenges so they can do well in school, work, and in their relationships. It’s about finding the right support and strategies to help each person thrive.

Ochsner offers a thorough medical and psychiatric assessment tailored for older adults. This assessment helps identify treatable conditions, enhance independence and reduce the need for assisted care.

When an older adult visits Ochsner with concerning symptoms, a mental health professional interviews both the patient and a family member to gather a full history of their condition. A complete psychiatric evaluation is conducted to assess the patient's mental status, including memory, cognitive abilities and orientation.

Neuropsychological testing is used to detect potential symptoms of dementia. Treatable conditions such as depression and reversible causes of dementia are prioritized, Ochsner staff psychiatrists are nationally recognized for their expertise in these areas.

Ochsner's psychiatry department has access to advanced diagnostic and testing facilities to support comprehensive studies. It collaborates closely with the internal medicine and neurology departments to pinpoint issues and devise effective treatment plans that restore the patient to a life of dignity and productivity.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive medical procedure that utilizes magnetic fields to influence brain activity. This innovative treatment targets specific areas of the brain, primarily focusing on nerve cells that control mood and behavior. TMS is recognized for its potential to assist individuals who have not experienced success with traditional treatments such as antidepressants or psychotherapy.

TMS therapy is a specialized form of treatment designed to address major depressive disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010 for major depressive disorder, TMS therapy offers a promising alternative for those seeking relief from persistent symptoms. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, without the need for sedation, allowing patients to remain alert and comfortable throughout the session.

TMS treatment involves the application of magnetic pulses through a coil placed over the scalp, precisely targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the brain. This process helps to modify the communication patterns of nerve cells, potentially leading to significant improvements in mood and behavior. Typically, TMS treatment at Ochsner requires a series of sessions, with patients undergoing four to five treatments per week over a month. The therapy is generally well-tolerated, with mild and temporary side effects such as scalp discomfort and headaches. Importantly, TMS has shown notable effectiveness, with about 50% to 60% of patients experiencing a meaningful response, and a third achieving full remission.

Spravato (a brand name for esketamine) is a prescription nasal spray used to treat adults with treatment-resistant depression. It may be used with or without an oral antidepressant for treatment-resistant depression, and with an oral antidepressant to treat depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder with suicidal thoughts or actions. Spravato is given under the supervision of a doctor or healthcare provider in a certified healthcare setting, where patients are monitored after treatment.

How long someone stays on Spravato depends on their individual treatment plan and how they respond to therapy. A doctor or healthcare provider determines the dose and treatment schedule, and patients should follow that schedule exactly. Because treatment duration can vary, the best way to know how long Spravato may be recommended is to discuss it with a doctor.