Quality of life of children and adolescents: during psychiatric treatment in a community mental health setting.

The objective of this study was to measure level of functioning and quality of life in children and adolescents undergoing psychiatric treatment. The design was prospective, with measurements at baseline, three months, and one year. The setting was a community mental health center. Participants comprised 89 patients, between the ages of 5 and 18, with a variety of diagnoses. The Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, Columbia Impairment Scale, and the Health and Life Functioning Scale were used as outcome measures. Results showed that level of functioning and quality of life significantly improved after three months. However, these variables did not show any further substantial change after one year. The authors conclude that, despite initial improvements, level of functioning may be suboptimal and quality of life measures may identify patients who will require more than "treatment as usual."