For Robin, mental health challenges have been a long and difficult journey. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder and facing the devastating loss of a close family member, Robin found herself in a tough place. After trying different treatment options, including inpatient and outpatient care at other facilities, she started down a new path that would change her life for the better at Brook Lane.
Robin’s connection with Brook Lane began 13 years ago when she moved from Baltimore to the Hagerstown area. After being referred to Dr. David Gonzalez for Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), she found herself in the care of a team she would grow to know and love. “Brook Lane shines,” says Robin. “I am glad I live close by instead of where I was, because I don’t think I would be as well off as I am today without Brook Lane in my life over the last 13 years.”
Despite her long-standing relationship with ECT, Robin reached another crossroads in her mental health journey when grief took a significant toll on her well-being. Her nurse practitioner, Andrea Allen, suggested the options of inpatient care or Brook Lane’s Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), which is a day treatment program. Robin chose to try PHP, a decision that has been transformational.
“You always think this isn’t going to work. This isn’t for me. There’s nothing they can do to help me. I’m just stuck,” Robin said, reflecting on her initial hesitations. But as she began PHP, she quickly realized how impactful the program could be. “Once you get beyond that and you start it, you realize that they really can help, and they really DO help.”
Once you get beyond that and you start it, you realize that they really can help, and they really DO help.
The structure and support of PHP made a noticeable difference in Robin’s life. Through daily group sessions, personalized care, and individual therapy, Robin acquired the perspectives and techniques that she needed to control her life. “I started to be able to handle myself once I started PHP,” she said. “They gave me tools to be able to understand where I was at and what I needed to do to get back to the person I wanted to be.”
Robin credits Brook Lane’s personalized approach for making her feel like more than just a patient. “They treat you like a person. You’re on a personal level with everyone you meet. At other facilities I was just a number. Nothing was personal,” she said. That same sense of individualized care extended to her ECT treatments, where Robin felt a special connection with the team that has worked with her for over a decade. “The ECT staff are unbelievable. They make you feel like you’re the only patient there. Dr. Gonzalez has been a wonder with my care over the years.”
Thanks to Brook Lane’s PHP and ECT programs, Robin’s life has transformed in ways she never expected. “My life has totally turned around in the past 13 years,” she said. “Since starting my treatments here, I have been in a relationship for 10 years—the longest I’ve ever been in one—and it is definitely because of the help of Brook Lane.”
Robin’s advice for anyone considering PHP or ECT is simple: “Just take the step, take the leap, and see where it leads you,” she said. “Mental health is a very touchy subject. Brook Lane makes sure that you’re not treated differently. You are treated like a person—somebody with feelings—and somebody that needs help.”
