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No boundaries: a 2 year experience in a specialized youth mental health care program in the Netherlands
Author(s) -
Leijdesdorff Sophie,
Postma Mary Rose,
Kersbergen Laura,
Marchetta Natalie,
Amelsvoort Thérèse
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
early intervention in psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.087
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1751-7893
pISSN - 1751-7885
DOI - 10.1111/eip.12887
Subject(s) - mental health , multidisciplinary approach , flexibility (engineering) , intervention (counseling) , multidisciplinary team , population , nursing , continuity of care , medicine , diversity (politics) , health care , mental healthcare , psychology , psychiatry , sociology , anthropology , social science , statistics , mathematics , environmental health , economics , economic growth
Abstract Aim Young people around the age of 18 receiving mental health care usually face the transition from child and adolescent (CAMHS) to adult mental health services (AMHS) bringing the risk of disruption in continuity of care. Recognizing the importance of early intervention in this vulnerable life‐period, this study aims to emphasize the importance of a client‐centred approach and continuity of care for this age group. For a deeper understanding of the specific needs of this group, the working method of a Dutch youth mental health (YMH) team working in a secondary mental health care setting is described, including some clinical characteristics and treatment results of patients who accessed this service. Methods Data consist of a detailed description of the working method of the YMH team combined with clinical characteristics of all patients aged 15‐25 years accessing the services of the YMH team over a two‐year period. Results The YMH team incorporated suggestions of earlier research into a client centred treatment. Key elements were multidisciplinary meetings, transcending diagnosis, flexibility and collaboration with other care providers. Clinical records showed a complex patient population and significant treatment effect. Conclusions The group of emerging adults accessing the YMH team can be described as a patient group with a high diversity and complexity of disorders and problems. Continuity of care was met when patients turned 18, allowing treatments to be successfully performed by the same team of professionals using a client‐centred approach.