A RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF CASE-MANAGEMENT FOR YOUTHS WITH SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE

Report on a randomized trial of case management carried out in conjunc tion with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Mental Heath Services P rogram for Youth in North Carolina (RWJ MHSPY). Youths with serious em otional disturbance (n = 167) were randomized to either a multiagency treatment team led by a case manager or a multiagency team led by the youth's primary mental health clinician. They were followed for 1 year after entry into the RWJ demonstration. Results show that the additio n of an experimental case manager to a youth's treatment team resulted in longer participation in services, use of a wider variety of servic es, fewer inpatient days, and more community-based services.