NCJ Number
148704
Date Published
1993
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Based on the interim findings of the Young People, Mental Health and Criminal Justice System Project, this paper examines services to juveniles with mental health problems who have been unable to access services that adequately meet their needs.
Abstract
Mental health services have traditionally been offered in specialist, State-run psychiatric facilities. With the emphasis on deinstitutionalization, however, inpatient public adolescent psychiatric services have been reduced. Deinstitutionalization has led to fewer places in psychiatric units, but there have not been sufficient community-based, mental-health support services to compensate for this. The emphasis on family involvement in mental health services for juveniles has also obstructed services for some juveniles who have resistant parents or insufficient family income to cover more expensive family- oriented therapy. Other factors that obstruct mental health services to juveniles are the requirement that a client have a secure and stable home environment, a reluctance by mental health professionals to treat persons awaiting legal proceedings, and previous psychiatric labels that deter treatment. The absence of public mental health services for juveniles has contributed to the adult psychiatric system and the criminal justice system becoming catchment areas for juveniles with mental health problems. This paper concludes with a discussion of strategies for dealing with juvenile mental health problems. 15 references