Patient Experiences Related Content

Each year, McLean Hospital serves nearly 1,000 patients in its specialty psychiatric and substance misuse residential treatment programs. Of those patients, 70% travel from outside of Massachusetts to come to McLean, with many coming from outside of the United States. “Each one of our residential...

The following story features Brandon, a NFL wide receiver, co-founder of PROJECT 375, and participant in our Deconstructing Stigma: A Change in Thought Can Change a Life mental health public awareness campaign. Told through the eyes of its participants, this campaign boldly challenges the...

Sue Callori needs only to glance at her arms to remember the tools she uses when the going gets tough. On her right arm her tattoos read: “Challenge your thoughts,” “Radical acceptance,” and “Distraction,” and on her left: “This too shall pass.” The writings remind her of what she learned during her...

By 5pm, Kathy Stafford’s busy day with the kids was winding down and she would reach for a glass of wine. But as time went on, one glass in the early evening wasn’t enough. “I found myself wanting and having a glass of wine well before 5pm,” says the mother of two whose battle with alcohol lasted...

In the chaotic early days of the pandemic, when federal and state regulators lifted a variety of legal barriers to telemedicine services, McLean Hospital programs raced to provide telemedicine to all levels of care Within two weeks, McLean pivoted to telemedicine, with 100% of outpatient and partial...

For the past few weeks, high school students from Blackstone Valley Tech have been bringing motivational messages, cards, and handmade angels to patients at McLean Hospital. Meghan Griggs, the niece of Karen Gaudette, center director for the McLean Child Care Center, led the effort to make sure...

At 22, Robin did the hardest thing she had ever done in her life: she confronted her fears. Her fear of God, her fear of unintentionally causing others harm, and her fear of germs—all caused by obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)—had robbed her of her teen years and she wasn’t going to let the...

The following is Karen’s story about her treatment at The Pavilion, an intensive two-week program at McLean Hospital designed to provide unparalleled diagnostic evaluation with an emphasis on evidence-based care, discretion, flexibility, and confidentiality. My stay at The Pavilion in 2016 was at...

Jeffery Lindeland is a two-sport athlete for Belmont High School who successfully fundraises on behalf of his teams and is reaching academic goals in a grade-level math class. Five years ago, his mother, Joy Anne Moses, did not know any of these things were possible. Diagnosed with a cognitive and...

Shyanne had more or less stopped talking—a disorder called selective mutism. She was depressed and anxious, had stopped going to school, and couldn’t stand to be touched. Her grandmother was doing her best to homeschool her but admits the 12-year-old was learning very little. Then someone told her...

Ten years ago, then 27-year-old Mike Muccio thought he was having a heart attack or a stroke. His heart raced, he was dizzy, off-balance, and felt like he was dying—and it kept happening. With his parents at his side, Mike spent the next nine months in and out of physician’s offices with no concrete...