Follow-up of adolescents treated in a psychiatric hospital: measurement of outcome.

Treatment planning that is highly individualized and systematically improved must be based on careful assessments of the effectiveness of current technics. This report describes the long-term (three to eight years) outcome of psychiatric hospitalization for 120 severely disturbed adolescent patients as it is measured on three dimensions: peer and social functioning, relationship with parents, and educational and occupational functioning. The measurement scales and the follow-up procedures are practical and easily used.