Youth are receiving shorter inpatient stays for mental health...( istence of these programs it is unlikel...),Health

Inpatient mental health professionals now routinely evaluate, treat, and discharge depressed children and adolescents in four days, well before the onset of response to antidepressants or the emergence of side effects. To do so safely requires access to extensive clinical resources, including specialized inpatient mental health services and intensive outpatient follow-up, the authors report.

"It remains unclear whether the changes we found represent a more efficient use of hospital resources, a withdrawal of necessary services, or some combination of both. Further research can clarify the extent to which community hospitals are meeting the mounting clinical demands of increasingly rapid diagnosis and treatment of mentally ill youth," says Case.