Therapeutic Day Programs in the Treatment of Adolescents with Mental Illness

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of day programs against other treatment modalities in adolescents with mental illnesses (including substance abuse). It also aims to identify patient and program factors associated with favourable outcomes for adolescents with mental illness treated in therapeutic day programs. Method: An extensive database search of published literature was conducted, supplemented by hand-searching of references of retrieved articles, and a search by author. There was no restriction by study design. Relevant studies were identified and appraised using standardised criteria. Results: Of the 231 studies identified in the search, 26 were relevant to this review. The majority of studies identified day programs as effective. There was a lack of adequate comparisons between day programs and other organisational arrangements. Conclusions: The quality of the studies identified was low. Twenty-two of the 26 studies did not have an adequate control group. Higher-quality research is required in the evaluation of the effectiveness of day programs, and the identification of other factors promoting successful outcome in the treatment of adolescent mental illness.