About the Psychiatric Clinics at MDABC
The Mood Disorders Association of BC houses a psychiatric clinic where you can receive a psychiatric assessment, subject to availability. Please download our referral form using the button below, and ask your doctor to complete it and fax it to us. Our fax number is 604.873.3095.
Who do we see at the Adult Psychiatric Clinic at MDABC?
MDABC’s psychiatrists have limited space available for consultation. We are accepting referrals only from full service physicians who have cared for the person for some time, not from walk-in clinics. We give priority to people dealing with mood disorders (depression and/or anxiety) rather than other mental health conditions. Patients will be seen by referral (only) and all psychiatry appointments are pre-booked. There are no drop in appointments.
Please note that receiving your referral does not guarantee acceptance into the service. Our Medical Director will review your referral, usually within two business days. If the referral is declined, your doctor will be notified. If it is accepted, our booking clerk will call you directly to schedule an appointment.
MDABC is attempting to increase our capacity for accepting referrals in the future. If we are unable to offer a consultation, we may suggest alternative mental health resources if we are able to do so.
I am a physician, how can I refer my patients to the clinic?
Download and complete the referral form below and fax to 604.873.3095. Once a referral is received in our office, our Medical Director will review the referral and get back to you as to whether we are able to assess your patient.
Referring physicians: Because our capacity for psychiatric consultation is limited, please note and consider the alternative services described under Additional Medical Treatments, Counselling and Wellness, and Support Groups. Counselling services and support groups do not require a formal referral from a physician.
The referral form for psychiatric consultations requests the following information:
- patient information (name, address, birthdate, phone number, PHN, next of kin)
- referring doctor name, address, fax number and billing information
- reason for referral
- current concerns and any previous consultations , hospital discharge summaries, etc
- history of aggressive behaviour, suicidal/psychotic behaviour, and/or substance abuse
- current medications
- previous contact with mental health professionals
Please ensure all information is printed clearly and legibly on the referral. Incomplete referrals will not be accepted.
Click here to download our referral form.
What Other Services and Treatments Are Available?
In addition to psychiatric consultations, MDABC offers the following programs. Patients and doctors can consider these as complements to psychiatry, or as alternatives to psychiatry.
| Program | Doctor’s referral needed? | Fees and insurance | Details |
| Clinical counselling | No | $95 per session. Some extended health plans may provide coverage. | Counselling and Wellness Centre at MDABC – MDABC |
| Peer support groups | No | No fees | MDABC Support Groups – MDABC |
| Jump Step: Exercise as treatment for depression | No | No fees | Jump Step: Exercise For The Treatment Of Depression – MDABC |
| JOY-TH (Journey of Yoga Therapy for Healing) | Yes | Covered by MSP with doctor’s referral. Note that there is no JOY-TH program scheduled for the fall of 2021. | JOY-TH: Journey Of Yoga Therapy for Healing – MDABC |
| Food as Medicine: Diet as treatment for depression | Yes | Covered by MSP with doctor’s referral | Food as Medicine: New Treatment for Depression at MDABC – MDABC |
| rTMS (repetitive trans-cranial magnetic stimulation) | Yes | Initial consultation covered by MSP with doctor’s referral. Treatments not covered by MSP. Some extended health plans and Worksafe BC may provide coverage. | Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) – MDABC |
| The Art Studios | No | No fees. Participants must live in Vancouver and must have a diagnosed mental health condition. | Home | theartstudios |
How Long is the Wait Time for a Psychiatric Consultation?
MDABC aspires to maintain a waitlist of less than four weeks between acceptance of your doctor’s referral and your first appointment with one of our psychiatrists. We will do our best to schedule your visit as quickly as possible. We thank you for your patience. Please remember, however, that not all referrals can be accepted.
MDABC psychiatric consultations are usually conducted online, using the secure Doctors of BC Zoom service.
We request that you are on time for your consultation. Consultations are fixed in length, so your prompt arrival will allow you to have a full appointment with the psychiatrist.
After your consultation
After your initial appointment, a consultation report will be sent to both your family doctor and directly to you. We do this because we want you to understand what our thoughts are, how the psychiatrist came to the conclusions he/she did, and we want you to be an active and educated participant in any treatment decisions going forward. The consultation report will include a psychiatric diagnosis (if the psychiatrist assesses that a specific psychiatric diagnosis is present) and treatment recommendations. Instructions will be included in your report about where to get the best treatment for your specific concerns. Follow-up care with your MDABC psychiatrist is available on an as-needed basis.
Group Medical Visits
Current patients of Dr. Remick and Dr. Brost may book into a group medical visit (GMV). A group visit is a pleasant and efficient way to manage medication and ask any questions that you may have about the progress of your treatment. For more information about GMV’s, see our Frequently Asked Questions section.
Other Mental Health Treatments
MDABC also offers a variety of alternative treatment programs. Some of these do not require a referral. Our current treatment programs include:
- Group medical visits, for medication treatment and monitoring
- Group and individual clinical counselling
- The Food as Medicine treatment program, which uses dietary changes to treat depression, or depression accompanied by chronic pain
- The Jump Step program, combining exercise with targeted talk therapy as a treatment for chronic depression
- Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS): a safe and non-invasive alternative treatment for depression, anxiety and some other conditions
More information about all of these programs is present on this website, as are brief bios of all of our medical staff and counsellors.
Appointments and cancellations
If you have general inquiries or questions regarding appointments and follow up, you can email us at appointments@mdabc.net Our front desk staff will respond to you within 24 hours, during our clinic hours. Or you can call 604-873-0103 and select option 1.
Clinic Hours are Monday to Friday – 9:00am-5:00pm
Please note that we have a 24-hour cancellation policy. Please call the MDABC office at (604) 873-0103 if you need to cancel your psychiatric or counselling appointment. We require 24 hours’ notice so that we can schedule another client into your place.
If a psychiatrist or counselling appointment is cancelled with less than 24 hours notice, a no-show fee will be charged. All fees are payable before the missed appointment will be rescheduled.
We appreciate your support in making patient care a priority within our clinic.
Medical Director’s Email Address:
Dr. Ron Remick rremick@shaw.ca
If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please go to your nearest hospital emergency room or call 911. To reach the crisis line, please call 1-866-661-3311.