It is a therapeutic method integrating medications, interviews, and information, in order to achieve a balanced treatment and to overcome problems more quickly and effectively.

The Day-Center is a specific level of treatment of psychic disorders, that offer relevant advantages as compared to the more restrictive level of hospitalization as well as to the traditional outpatient treatment.

The Day-Center actually allows for a more fully-fledged and intensive treatment in comparison to standard outpatient treatments, without the restrictive and at times regressive aspects that characterize traditional 24 hours a day hospitalization.

The Day-Center was created focusing on two precise kinds of needs:

• leaving the person who is suffering within his/her social and family environment;
• treating the person while preserving the maximum level of social activity, but still providing strict therapeutic programs under daily supervision by specialized medical personnel.

The Day-Center is a comprehensive program involving partial hospitalization.

It makes use of all the resources available in a hospital except for the beds.

For patients suffering from psychic disorders, the Day-Center is the most desirable therapeutic environment available.

It is the ideal system in which sophisticated assessment and diagnosis procedures can be carried out. It also offers state-of-the-art pharmacological and psychological therapeutic programs that can be initiated immediately as well as psychoeducational and support activities both for patients and for their family members.

One of the most important therapeutic methods available at the Day-Center is the use of the so-called intravenous treatment. Especially in the case of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, disorders related to anxiety, and cognitive disorders, the intravenous treatment offers several advantages both in terms of effectiveness and in terms of quick action and reduced side effects.

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HOW DOES THE DAY CENTER WORK?

It is open every day (from Monday to Friday 8:30 am -12:30 pm and 2:30 pm- 8:00 pm; on Saturday and Sunday in the mornings only).

One and a half hour is generally a sufficient amount of time for a patient to be treated.

Patients and their family members can participate in psychoeducational group meetings to get to know themselves and each other and to learn how to help themselves and each other in a more effective way.

The duration of Day-Center therapies varies in relation to each patient’s needs.

Generally, it takes three or four days to plan out the treatment. The average duration is 2 to 3 weeks, after which the first improvements become apparent.

Upon discharge, a report is provided, including personal history, psychometric assessment, and above all a detailed diagnosis of the disorder in compliance with international classifications, as well as documentation concerning the whole therapy.

The therapy is continued with periodic consultations and therapeutic guidelines for the patients and their families. The Day-Center method includes the administration of a therapy under the supervision of specialized medical and nursing personnel, clinical assessments, group meetings for patients and family members (hematochemical and instrumental tests are excluded).

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WHO IS THE DAY CENTER FOR?

It is for everybody, but in particular for those who:

• Have already tried other treatments without success
• Had to stop their therapy because of side effects
• Have medical problems that require more frequent checks
• Are generally "allergic" or intolerant to treatments
• Have not yet been provided with a precise diagnosis of their disorder