The young adult chronic patient: overview of a population.
A new generation of persistently dysfunctional young adults (aged 18 to 35) has emerged in the community, requiring new programs in community care. This population, which includes a wide range of diagnostic groups, is under study at a suburban New York community mental health center. The center and county are serving 294 such young patients through a variety of programs which include a crisis service, a sheltered workshop, a residential program called the Community Link-Up Experience, an acute day treatment program, an alcohol day treatment program, a case management program, and a Growth Advancement Program that gives patients an opportunity to socialize and share problems with others their age. Residential programs that provide a supportive living situation to young adult chronic patients on both a temporary and a long-term basis are sorely needed and will require an increased outlay of funds. A case study of one young patient who visited the center sporadically over a 12-year period illustrates the treatment problems such patients pose.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D003688:Deinstitutionalization; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009518:New York; D012114:Residential Treatment; D012649:Self Concept; D013383:Suburban Population