Effect of PACT on inpatient psychiatric treatment for adolescents with severe mental illness: a preliminary analysis.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined whether inpatient psychiatric treatment and forensic treatment and incarceration were reduced among adolescents and young adults with severe and persistent mental illness after they received services in the Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT).


METHODS
The pre-post evaluation compared length of inpatient treatment and forensic treatment or incarceration for the year before and after PACT enrollment. Participants (N=15) were their own controls.


RESULTS
Annual psychiatric hospitalization fell from 66.2 days before enrollment to 8.7 days in the first year of PACT (p=.025, Cohen's d=.54). Similarly, combined days of inpatient psychiatric treatment and forensic treatment or incarceration fell from 104.1 in the year before enrollment to 24.1 days in the year after (p=.015, Cohen's d=.61).


CONCLUSIONS
PACT services significantly reduced time in inpatient psychiatric treatment. These preliminary results may have implications for long-term treatment, service delivery, and cost of care for adolescents and young adults with severe and persistent mental illness.
Ahrens
Christine
C
Program of Assertive Community Treatment, 600 Williamson St., Suite A-B, Madison, WI 53703, USA. ahrencs@dhfs.state.wi.us
Frey
Jana
J
Knoedler
William H
WH
Senn-Burke
Suzanne C
SC
D000293:Adolescent; D000298:Adolescent, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014922:Wisconsin