Admissions

We treat young adults with symptoms from the following:

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  Anxiety

  • A mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities.

    Some examples of anxiety disorders can include panic attacks, social anxiety, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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  Depression

  • Depression is a mood disorder that involves persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest. It is more acute than the mood fluctuations that people regularly experience as a part of day-to-day life. It is an ongoing problem in which symptoms can last for at least 2 weeks or more, months or years.

    College life can be stressful as a person may be dealing with other lifestyles, cultures, and experiences for the first time. Some young adults have difficulty coping with these changes and may develop depression, anxiety, or even both as a result.

    The most common types of depression are Major Depression, Persistent Depressive Disorder, Psychotic Depression, Major Depressive Disorder with seasonal patterns, and Bipolar Disorder.

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  Trauma

  • Trauma is the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, causes feelings of helplessness, diminishes their sense of self and their ability to feel the full range of emotions and experiences.

    Some common sources of trauma include:

    • Rape
    • Domestic violence
    • Natural disasters
    • Severe illness or injury
    • The death of a loved one
    • Witnessing an act of violence
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  Suicidal Thoughts

  • Suicidal ideation or thoughts means wanting to take your own life or thinking about suicide. Suicidal ideation is one of the symptoms of both major depression and the depression found in bipolar disorder, but it may also occur in people with other mental illnesses or no mental illness at all.

    There are two kinds of suicidal ideation: passive and active.

    Passive suicidal ideation occurs when you wish you were dead or that you could die, but you don’t actually have any plans to commit suicide.

    Active suicidal ideation, on the other hand, is not only thinking about it but having the intent to commit suicide, including planning how to do it.

    Warning signs may include:

    • Isolating yourself from your loved ones
    • Feeling hopeless or trapped
    • Talking about death or suicide
    • Giving away possessions
    • An increase in substance use or misuse
    • Increased mood swings, anger, rage, and/or irritability
    • Engaging in risk-taking behavior like using drugs or having unprotected sex
    • Accessing the means to kill yourself, such as medication, drugs, or a firearm
    • Acting as if you’re saying goodbye to people
    • Feeling extremely anxious
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  Borderline Personality Disorder

  • Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder experience patterns of false perceptions about themselves and others, extreme emotions, frequent mood swings and impulsive behavior that interfere with daily functioning. As a result, their relationships can be intense and chaotic, and they may push those close to them away.

    Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder may include:

    • An intense fear of abandonment or rejection
    • A history of unstable, “love-hate” relationships
    • Periods of paranoia
    • High-risk behavior
    • Sudden shifts in self-identity, goals or values
    • Wide mood swings that may include intense anger, anxiety or happiness
    • Threats of self-harm
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  Early-Onset Psychosis and/or Substance Abuse Psychosis

  • Psychosis is characterized as disruption to a person’s thoughts and perceptions that make it difficult for them to recognize what is real and what isn’t.

    These disruptions are often experienced as seeing, hearing, and believing things that aren’t real or having strange, persistent thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. Early-onset or first-episode psychosis refers to when a person first shows signs of beginning to loose contact with reality. A substance-induced psychosis is an episode that is related to the abuse of an intoxicant.

Our specialties include:

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  Treating Addictive Behaviors

  • The Addictive Behaviors that Malvern Behavioral Health specializes in include:

    • Substance Use Addiction
    • Video Game Addiction (Gaming)
    • Internet Addiction (Screen Time)

    Substance Use Addiction

    We treat substance use disorders that co-occur with other mental health concerns. The mental health concerns would be the primary reason for treatment. Substance use may include alcohol, illicit drugs, and/or prescription medications. Psychiatric services, medicated assisted treatment and evidence-based therapy is provided.

    Video Game Addiction (Gaming) and Internet Addiction (Screen Time)

    Most people understand addiction when it comes to a dependence on substances, such as alcohol, nicotine, illicit drugs, or even prescription medications, but may have a hard time with the concept of addictive behaviors such as these. Gaming and scrolling through social media are behaviors that appear normal to most people that it's hard to believe you can become addicted to them. Yet the cycle of addiction can still take over, making everyday life a constant struggle.
    These behaviors can lead to real problems in a person's life, functioning, and relationships. Young people may experience withdrawal, negative emotions and other symptoms, when they are not engaged in the activity. These behaviors can also create considerable distress and can be difficult to manage or change, even when the person wants help to stop engaging in them.

    At Malvern Behavioral Health, we do not allow cell phone use for the duration of treatment. We have found that our young people are able to remain present when they are not distracted by the outside world of social media. Most of our patients report finding relief in taking a break from the pressure of social media and technology dependence during their stay.

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  Failure to Launch

  • Failure to launch syndrome is not a true diagnosis, but rather is a common way to describe a young adult who is struggling with the transition to adulthood.

    It can be defined as an inability to leave home and support oneself, regardless of the underlying cause. Young adults struggling with failure to launch (or failure to thrive) may appear to be “stuck” or not maturing in an age-appropriate way.

    A young person struggling with a failure to launch may also experience diminished self-esteem and poor emotional self-regulation. Common times for an individual to begin to display failure to launch symptoms are after high school graduation, at any point during their time at a post-secondary institution, and after obtaining a bachelor's degree.

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  Issues Experienced by the LGBTQ+ Community

  • Malvern Behavioral Health is a leading provider of behavioral health services to individuals in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning (LGBTQ+) community. Individuals of the LGBTQ+ community often face a number of unjust issues, such as, social stigma, abuse, harassment, and sometimes even family rejection. Our program is designed to treat young adults suffering from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, alcohol and/or drug abuse, and other harmful behaviors in a safe, judgement free environment. Malvern Behavioral Health is a place where young people are free from the stigma and prejudices they encounter outside our hospital doors.

    We are sensitive to the issues experienced by the LGBTQ+ community and provide an affirmative, inclusive and respectful environment for LGBTQ+ people.

    Additionally we provide:

    • Privacy, dignity, and comfort
    • Gender-neutral bathrooms and showers
    • A Co-ed treatment program that welcome all expressions of gender
    • Members of the LGBTQ+ community on staff