Dual-Diagnosis Inpatient Unit at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

The JHBMC Department of Psychiatry offers inpatient detoxification, assessment and transition services to individuals suffering from comorbid substance use disorders and psychiatric illnesses on its specialty service, “Team III.”  Team III accepts adult patients over the age of 16 on a voluntary basis only.  Our expert inpatient treatment team is comprised of an attending psychiatrist, a resident psychiatrist, nurses, a social worker, a case manager and several occupational therapists, all of whom are trained in the provision of substance use disorder treatment to patients suffering from comorbid psychiatric disorders.  

For psychiatric emergencies, please call 911 or go to the nearest Emergency Room immediately

Our Patients

Patients treated on this inpatient service suffer from comordid substance abuse disorders.  The goal of treatment is to assist patients in their pursuit of abstinence from any substance of abuse, including alcohol, benzodiazepines, cocaine, opiates such as narcotic pills or heroin, methamphetamine, barbiturates, hallucinogens, marijuana, and designer drugs.  In addition to substance abuse disorders,  the majority of the patients treated on Team III suffer from affective disorders such as, major depression, bipolar disorder and adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders such as, panic, generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and severe chronic mental illnesses such as, schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Treatment Program

Within 24 hours of admission, each patient is evaluated in person by an attending psychiatrist and an individualized treatment plan is formulated by the treatment team within 72 hours. Patients are treated for comorbid psychiatric disorders with medications and psychotherapies as are fitting to their needs. For patients with dependence to substances, withdrawal symptoms are treated with medications to alleviate as much discomfort as possible, and medical assessments of the patients’ withdrawal syndrome occurs at least daily for the duration of the stay. Specialty therapies in addiction are assigned to each patient, using multimedia presentations in several instances to enhance the recovery process.  All attempts are made to assist the patient with coordination of a life-long recovery process, and social workers and case managers assist patients with selection of and transition to the next stage of recovery.  Such transitions may include inpatient residential treatment, outpatient intensive therapies, vocational rehabilitation programs, recovery housing, methadone programs, outpatient specialty dual-diagnosis programs, and recovery networks. Social workers also assess the patients’ psychosocial situations and assist with coordinating family or other support system meetings, set up discharge plans for a seamless transition to outpatient care for psychiatric disorders, and assist with such interventions as coordination of return to work, applications for leaves, benefits and assistance, and reintegration into the community. Patients are seen daily by psychiatric physicians and nurses and treatment modifications occur to ensure optimal efficiency of care provision. While there is no maximum length of stay in the program, Team III is designed for detoxification and a fairly rapid transition to the next stages of care, and in general, patients can expect to be treated by Team III for 3 to 4 days.

Referrals and Admissions

The Bayview Dual-Diagnosis Inpatient Service (Team III) accepts patients from physicians’ and psychiatrists’ offices directly and from emergency departments throughout the state of Maryland. 

For admissions information and assistance, contact the admission coordinator at 410-550-0069, Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.