Researchers examine differences in the treatment of adolescent mental illness. Mental illness often manifests during adolescence. However, research on the determinants of variations in adolescent mental health care is limited. Emily Cuddy and Janet Currie examined 2012-2018 data for 202,066 privately insured children with at least one mental illness claim between the ages of 11 and 18 years. Girls were more likely than boys to have claims. On average, children were 12 years of age when their first mental illness claim was filed. Following initial treatment for mental illness, 70.8% of children received follow-up treatment within the next 3 months. Most children were not prescribed therapy for initial treatment. Almost half of children who were prescribed medication for initial treatment either received benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, or drugs that were not approved for child use by the US Food and Drug Administration. Compared with children who had pre-existing neurodevelopmental conditions, such as ADHD or autism spectrum disorder, children without such conditions were more likely to be treated with these medications. Children whose initial mental illness claim included a hospital visit were more likely than other children to receive medication. The findings suggest that variation in clinical practice is an important factor in the type of mental health treatment children receive, according to the authors.
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Article #20-07484: "Treatment of mental illness in American adolescents varies widely within and across areas," by Emily Cuddy and Janet Currie.
MEDIA CONTACT: Janet Currie, Princeton University, NJ; tel: 609-258-7393; e-mail: jcurrie@princeton.edu
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences