"Most troubling is the possibility that, driven by financial and other pressures, mental health providers are discharging severely ill youth too early in treatment. However, it may be that mental health providers are using hospital resources more efficiently and that children are increasingly being treated safely in day programs, clinics, and private offices," says Case.
Inpatient stays at Bradley Hospital, the nation's first psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents, seem to concur with this study.
"While the average length of stay at Bradley Hospital is a bit longer than what's found in the study, we've seen the trend toward shorter lengths of stay occur over the last decade. It's been necessary to develop rapid and systematic assessments of our child and adolescent patients and to develop comprehensive treatment plans faster than ever before because of the pressure from health insurance companies to discharge patients quickly. In spite of this pressure, we have to consistently try to do what is best for the child and adolescent and their families," says Jeffrey Hunt, MD, director of Bradley's Adolescent Program.
Over the years, Hunt's team has created new programs to augment existing inpatient treatment in order to manage adolescents with serious mood disorders and impulse control problems (such as is seen with early onset bipolar disorder). In addition, he says that the expansion of day hospital programs and therapeutic school programs have been critical to the safe outcomes for patients.
"We are able to maintain more prolonged contact with patients and their families by utilizing these newer services. However, even with the ex
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Contact: Carol L. Vieira
cvieira1@lifespan.org
404-432-1328
Lifespan
4-Jan-2007