[Crises in adolescence. Value of a specialized hospitalization unit]

Hospitalization of a disturbed adolescent is not necessarily a distressing experience. It may provide the opportunity for the separation-individuation process to develop. The various possibilities offered by the Adolescent Psychiatric Unit at the Salpêtrière Hospital are described. The outcome of hospitalization is often gradual autonomy of the adolescent in his family. The functioning of the Unit is illustrated by three clinical reports.