[Key elements of the evolution of adolescent mental health policies]

The purpose of this study was to examine the evolution of public policies in the area of adolescent mental health in France. An analysis of statutory texts, public reports and government action plans shows that the mental health policy implemented in the early 1990s resulted in a significant expansion of the issues and populations needing treatment based on new procedures and frameworks. The analysis shows that as a result of the emergence of a new conception of care, a sector or network approach has been replaced by a personal route approach aimed at supporting teenagers and promoting successful socialization and increased autonomy. In a geographically confined area, the analysis of the discourse of child psychiatry actors and their partners and a review of the locally produced literature highlights a wide range of initiatives, experiences and experiments in the interstices of the care system, between prevention and care, ambulatory and hospital care, and therapy, education and schools. These factors have contributed to changing the local landscape of mental health by reorganizing the provision of care and prevention. However, they have yet to become the norm, and only some professional groups interested in becoming suitably qualified and keen to improve the treatment of adolescent mental health problems are currently involved.