Community intensive therapy

Being admitted as an inpatient to a psychiatric unit either voluntarily or involuntarily can be a terrifying experience for an adult. Imagine how it feels for a child.

Historically, the provision of mental health care for children and adolescents in most rich countries has been patchy at best. In fact, the number of beds provided at a local level is tiny. In 2004, 9.6% of children in Great Britain aged 5-15 years were estimated to have a mental disorder.¹ Of course, not all of these children need admission to hospital, which can be an isolating experience. Admission to hospital can be disruptive for the child and his or her family. Also, parents can often feel unable to help and worry that their child will be negatively affected by other patients.²

In the past decade or so, the treatment of children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders in the community has become more common. More professionals have questioned the usefulness of inpatient treatment, and the use of inpatient beds for these patients has decreased.³