In-patient Treatment of 165 Adolescents with Emotional and Conduct Disorders a Study of Outcome

A two-year follow-up study of 165 teenagers with conduct and emotional disorders treated as in-patients on a regional adolescent unit (YPU) is described. The target types of behaviour for each subject were scored independently by the teenager, the parent or guardian, and the professional referrer before admission and at one month, one year and two years after discharge. The significant overall improvement in behaviour observed at one month after discharge was sustained at one and two years. Thirty-three subjects who abandoned treatment within six weeks of admission had made significantly less progress than the fully treated group at one month after discharge, but there were no significant differences at the one- and two-year evaluations. Two years after treatment, between 69% and 79% of the 132 subjects who completed treatment were regarded as improved, depending on which respondent made the assessment. Adolescents who completed treatment had different characteristics from those who terminated treatment prematurely and were more likely to be girls in care referred by social services.