A consumer survey of an adolescent unit.
Details are presented of a consumer survey of 60 adolescents and 67 parents, designed to assess attitudes to the treatment components of a regional psychiatric unit for adolescents. Two-thirds of the adolescents and nearly one half of the parents made a positive valuation of the Unit's treatment. The treatment regime with its emphasis on individual responsibility received the most positive ratings. Over half of the parents and one third of the adolescents felt that the Unit had not been helpful. Parents responded negatively to two particular aspects of the Unit: first the treatment regime because of the lack of control and care, and secondly the Unit's high family involvement and its use of family group therapy. Adolescents criticised the Unit's siting in the grounds of a psychiatric hospital for adult patients. Attention is drawn to the difficulties faced by a general purpose unit in meeting the specific needs of adolescents and their families, and the importance of consumer opinion in the provision and planning of services and their delivery is stressed.
Pyne
N
N
Morrison
R
R
Ainsworth
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005196:Family Therapy; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000628:therapy