title: [Use of Mental Health Service Among Young Adults on Unemployment Benefit Before and after Receiving Counseling at a Psychiatric Liaison Department].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine mental health service utilization before and after consultation of a psychiatric liaison service ("Support 25") among youths aged 16-24 years suffering from mental disorders and receiving unemployment benefits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal registration of mental health service use over a 9-month period (N=148); measurement of possible moderators with questionnaires and rating scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mental health service utilization increased from initially 22% to 40% and 47.5% 3 and 6 months after receiving individual treatment recommendation. Low-threshold psychosocial counseling was frequented more often than specific psychiatric or psychotherapeutic treatment. Subjects who contacted mental health services showed a trend towards a lower level of psychosocial functioning than subjects who did not seek treatment. Stigma-related factors did not hinder mental health service use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite a high degree of psychiatric morbidity, the surveyed sample of unemployed youths had problems to successfully enter mental health services. Although a substantial increase in service use was observed after receiving psychoeducational information at a psychiatric liaison service, the use of low-threshold counseling predominated. This finding suggests that the mental health system should adapt better to the specific needs of young unemployed, for example, by expanding low-threshold psychiatric pre-treatment offers at vocational centers.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters, LVR-Klinikum Essen, Universitätsklinik Essen, Essen.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hagen
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters, LVR-Klinikum Essen, Universitätsklinik Essen, Essen.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bänfer
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters, LVR-Klinikum Essen, Universitätsklinik Essen, Essen.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Werkstetter
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters, LVR-Klinikum Essen, Universitätsklinik Essen, Essen.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hebebrand
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters, LVR-Klinikum Essen, Universitätsklinik Essen, Essen.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Reissner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008605:Mental Health Services; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D014478:Unemployment; D055815:Young Adult