Depression is first and foremost a great deal of suffering and a source of numerous painful consequences.

It is a reversible and curable illness, but it is also a disease where relapse is frequent in a high percentage of cases

Treatment of such a state is a combination of medication and psychological treatment.

Upon his arrival the patient is taken charge of by a psychiatrist and a care team who will look after him during his entire stay.

The objective is to: relieve suffering, heal the depression and prepare the return to daily life.

Upon arrival, the psychiatric doctor will inform the patient about the diagnosis and the therapeutical project designed for him.  It depends to a large extent on his particular case, but also takes account of the patient’s wishes.  This therapy is constantly reassessed.  Everyday (Saturday and Sunday included), the patient has a discussion with his doctor, thereby enabling assessment of the medication and at the same time work on the appropriate psychological treatment.

The medical team is made up of 7 doctors in psychiatry for 44 patients. They are present daily for an important medical time, enabling intensive observation and also preparation for discharge in the best possible conditions.

Medication is distributed in the morning, at midday, 4pm and in the evening in the patient’s room.  The patient has a copy of his entire treatment and can obtain complementary information from the nurses who are very involved in the therapeutic project.

Constituting a back-up to the daily discussions with the doctor in psychiatry, the meetings aim to instruct the patient with regard to the nature of his illness, the best way to treat it and above all avert it.

In this respect, there are:

• Information meetings about depressive illnesses, open to the patient but also his friends and family who are involved in the patient’s treatment (meeting led by Dr H. CUCHE or Dr L. WAINTRAUB);
• psycho-education meetings on bipolar mood disorders, to better understand the disease and avoid relapse (meeting led by Dr Ch. GAY).

In parallel according to his state of health and if he so wishes, the patient is invited to:

• participate in psychomotricity sessions which enable the reduction of muscular tension and lead to rediscovery of the pleasures of corporal expression,
• participate in the art-therapy workshops to revive notions of pleasure and creativity.

During the entire stay, the patient feels that he is taken charge of by a team, where the collaboration between doctors and nurses is obvious, permanent and fruitful.

Everyday there is a meeting of all the medical team (doctors, nurses) which enables exchange of information and mutual aid to improve treatment. Moreover, since the notion of collegiality is one of the cardinal virtues of the Clinique du Château de Garches, the doctor who is in charge of the patients consults endlessly with the corresponding doctor who referred the patient and may at all time request the opinion and help from another person on the medical team.

This way of operating is characteristic of the spirit of the Clinique du Château de Garches, bringing with it safety and efficiency.  As the saying goes, two or three brains are always better than one.

Families are involved as much as the patient wants.  They participate in the diagnosis, may meet with doctors and nurses as much as they wish.  They can take part in the information meetings on depression.  They are involved in the preparation for discharge and afterwards, in order to adopt suitable behaviour and supply the necessary help to the patient.

The average length of stay for depression is around three weeks.

Right from the moment of admission departure is prepared taking into account the patient, his constraints and those of his family and circumstances.  This preparation is undertaken in the course of discussions with the psychiatrist, together with the medical team, very experienced in this area and during various meetings. The quality of this preparation is decisive as regards the return to normal life, repairing all the negative repercussions of the illness and averting relapses and repetitions.

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