Medical Clearance The Human Services Center is a psychiatric hospital, providing specialized care for people who are experiencing severe symptoms of mental illness that require hospitalization. It is sometimes challenging to know if symptoms of abnormal thinking/agitation are due to mental illness or underlying physical illness that is causing neurologic dysfunction. Patients must be medically stable before they can be admitted to the Human Services Center for mental health treatment. It is critical for patient’s health and safety that they receive care in the most appropriate setting. In summary, the more comorbidities the patient has, the more medications that are prescribed, the greater the age, and the more sudden the onset of symptoms, the higher the possibility that the patient’s psychiatric symptoms are due to medical illness. The evaluation that is appropriate to determine if a patient needs a traditional hospital or psychiatric hospital needs to be individualized to their situation. Factors that should be considered are:       The age of the patient History of mental illness Ingestion of illicit substances Comorbid illnesses The presentation of symptoms Medication side effects and toxicities The patient should have a careful medical exam, including appropriate evaluation for infection, metabolic abnormalities, cardiovascular events, and medication or illicit substance toxicity. If one of these issues is felt to be present, the person should receive appropriate medical treatment prior to considering psychiatric hospitalization. The following list of tests is provided as an example of the type of evaluation that may be appropriate, but this list is not exhaustive, and is not “required” in all situations:              Complete set of vital signs, including oxygen saturation Comprehensive metabolic panel (including electrolytes, renal function, liver function tests) Thyroid studies (TSH and free T4) Acetaminophen level Salicylate level Complete Blood Count Ammonia level Cardiac enzymes Urinalysis Urine drug screen Chest X Ray EKG CT scan of head