Children’s of Mississippi opens adolescent psychiatric unit

Children’s of Mississippi has opened a new adolescent acute psychiatric unit for patients ages 13 to 17 to address rising rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder among the state’s teenagers, hospital leaders said.

The unit is designed specifically for adolescents and fills a long-standing gap in inpatient psychiatric services, according to hospital officials. Leaders said the new facility will improve safety, provide better continuity of care and offer more support for families of young patients.

Children’s of Mississippi is the pediatric health system affiliated with the University of Mississippi Medical Center and serves children across the state. Health systems nationwide have reported increasing demand for specialized mental health services for teens in recent years, which has strained inpatient capacity in many regions.

Hospital officials say the new unit aims to meet that growing need locally and streamline care for adolescents who require inpatient treatment. We will provide more information as it becomes available.