Present evidence appears to favour the use of family therapy over individual therapy in adolescents with mental illness. This evidence is stronger for adolescents with anorexia nervosa than patients with other diagnoses. The studies evaluating the effectiveness of family therapy in adolescents with serious mental illness (other than anorexia nervosa) are weak and this is an area requiring further research.
An assessment of the effectiveness of day-care programmes for adolescents with mental illness can not be made on present evidence. A minimum requirement for such an assessment is the presence of a suitable control group followed over the same period of time as the group receiving the intervention studied.
There is a lack of studies comparing day programmes with other types of treatment programme in the treatment of adolescents with mental illness. This is also an area where research is required.
Day programmes appear to be effective in reducing substance abuse and improving educational outcome. Further research is needed in this area.
There was insufficient evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of residential programmes in the treatment of adolescent substance abuse.
There was an absence of comparisons between residential and day programmes to assess the relative effectiveness of these two interventions in the treatment of adolescent substance abuse. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to favour one over the other.
It is important that any new day programme is evaluated.
