NCJ Number
222748
Journal
Residential Treatment for Children & Youth Volume: 23 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2005 Pages: 91-105
Date Published
2005
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article discusses effective treatment and management issues of adolescents with mental illnesses requiring psychotropic medication in residential treatment.
Abstract
Mental illness is a significant problem for many adolescents and their families. However, severe mental and emotional conditions are much more prominent in juvenile residential treatment facilities than they are within the general adolescent population. The presence of a high proportion of juveniles with severe mental health conditions makes accurate diagnosis and careful medication management critical components of effective adolescent residential treatment. Recent developments of new medications and applications of pre-existing medications have made treatment increasingly successful. This paper summarizes the major mental illnesses most commonly encountered in adolescent residential treatment, and then describes the medications often used to treat them. The paper is offered to facilitate the understanding of the many non-medical practitioners in the mental health field. References