Programs that offer a form of therapy developed by Marsha M. Linehan that is designed especially for people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) who are involved in self-cutting or other forms of self-mutilitation, have attempted suicide or have suicidal thoughts or exhibit other behaviors related to self-injury. Treatment involves individual therapy, a skills group, telephone contact and therapist consultation. The group skills training has four modules: core mindfulness skills, interpersonal effectiveness skills, emotion regulation skills and distress tolerance skills. The focus of the group sessions is on learning and practicing adaptive skills that are particularly relevant to the problems experienced by people with BPD. While originally developed for this population, dialectical behavior therapy has been used with people who have other types of emotional disorders.

Programs that offer therapist-facilitated collective treatment sessions in which unrelated groups of individuals, couples or families discuss their attitudes, feelings and problems and, with input from other members of the group, attempt to achieve greater self and interpersonal understanding and adjustment and explore solutions to their problems.

Programs that provide walk-in, walk-out diagnostic and treatment services for children, adolescents and/or adults who have acute or chronic psychiatric disorders but do not need 24-hour care; and/or provide counseling services for individuals, couples, families and extended family groups who may be experiencing difficulty resolving personal or interpersonal conflicts or making personal adjustments to stressful life situations such as separation, divorce, widowhood, loss of a child, poor health, unemployment, family violence, delinquency or substance abuse.

Programs that utilize a variety of means to evaluate and identify the best mode of treatment for individuals who have developmental deficits, learning disabilities, neurological impairments, loss of memory, behavioral problems, personality disorders or adjustment problems. Diagnostic techniques may include observation of the person's behavior, interviews with the individual and significant others, psychological testing as indicated, and neuropsychological assessment in situations where organic involvement such as brain injury is suspected. Ongoing assessment may be provided as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of treatment.

Programs that are staffed by physicians who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional and behavior disorders. Psychiatrists have specialized training, knowledge and skills which enable them to explore the biologic, psychological and social components of illnesses; and are licensed to prescribe medication, conduct physical examinations, order and interpret laboratory tests and EEGs and order brain imaging studies such as CT, CAT, MRI and PET scans as well as evaluate and treat psychological and interpersonal problems and provide continuing psychiatric care.

A condition, previously referred to in the U.S. as "dual diagnosis", in which individuals have both a diagnosed mental illness and a substance use disorder involving either drugs or alcohol. Any combination of mental health and substance use disorders qualifies for this diagnosis, e.g., an alcohol use disorder and depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and a heroin use disorder, prescription drug dependence and anxiety. For purposes of treatment, it is recommended that clients receive intensive medical and therapeutic intervention and care for both disorders at the same time, allowing them to manage the symptoms caused by the mental health disorder without resorting to drugs and/or alcohol and worsening their mental health symptoms, or allowing an untreated mental health order to increase the urge to drink or get high.

A disorder that is characterized by the use of opiates including heroin, opium, nonprescription methadone and morphine that are valued for the physical and psychological symptoms they produce including insensitivity to physical or emotional pain, euphoria, drowsiness and sleep. Negative side effects include the risk of an overdose which may result in death through respiratory depression; severe withdrawal symptoms if the drug is withheld; and associated health problems including the risk of hepatitis, blood poisoning, abscesses of the liver, brain and lungs and AIDS.