THE IMPORTANCE OF DIFFERENT FORMS OF THER APY AT A UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT-PSYCHIATRY AND ASSOCIATED FACILITIES, AND ISSUES RELATING TO DOCUMENTATION OF TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS

This study is an extension of an investigation by the same authors in which the treatment provided by a university child psychiatry departme nt and associated facilities was analyzed. First a system for the asse ssment of therapeutic measures for children and adolescents with psych iatric disorders and their families is presented. Then the frequency o f use of the different forms of therapy in a sample of more than 10 00 0 referred children and adolescents is discussed. The statistical anal ysis was conducted separately for the different facilities (inpatient wards, outpatient clinic, day treatment ward, mobile child psychiatric service and child guidance clinic). The results show the relative imp ortance of the different types of treatment in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry. Furthermore, they show how the frequency and in tensity of use of the different treatment forms varies in the differen t facilities. In some treatment categories (e.g. pharmacological treat ment) there are significant differences among facilities, whereas in o thers (e.g. parent counseling and family-oriented interventions) the r ate of usage is about the same at all facilities. With regard to metho dology, the question is discussed of how treatment effectiveness can b e assessed and documented in a practicable and meaningful way.