Mental health: an outreach service for adolescents

In 'The Health of the Nation' (1), the government committed itself to seeking continued improvements in comprehensive local services for mental illness not only in adults, but also in children and adolescents. The adolescent unit outreach service described in this article offers an intensive therapeutic and consultative service for disturbed young people. The aim is to maximise the opportunities for care in the community and thus reduce the need for inpatient admissions. The authors discuss the early developments of an outreach service and identify appropriate research questions. Application for funding to help evaluate the service is currently under way.