The difficult adolescents who are referred to a psychiatric unit—II. Clinical features and response to treatment

The development of a new adolescent psychiatric unit for an urban area afforded the opportunity to study the range of cases that were referred. Using a special inventory that was developed and validated for the project distinct groups of youngsters were identified and their family characteristics studied. Of the conduct disordered group, a large proportion proved to be rather solitary and impulsive with a tendency towards outbursts of aggression. These adolescents and their families found least benefit from the family orientated approach of the unit. Of the remaining youngsters about 70 per cent showed symptomatic improvement, a rate which compares well with the findings from other outcome studies.