Bridging the Gap in Psychiatric Care for Children with a School-Based Psychiatry Program

• Published in: School mental health Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 181 - 189
• Main Authors: Herman, Keith C., Cho, Evelyn, Marriott, Brigid R., Walker, Laine Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-06-2018; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Barriers; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Children & youth; Clinical Psychology; Compliance (Psychology); Developmental Psychology; Drug Therapy; Education; Educational Environment; Families & family life; Health Services; Insurance coverage; Medicaid; Medicare; Mental Disorders; Mental health care; Mental Health Programs; Minority & ethnic groups; Original Paper; Outcomes of Treatment; Parent Attitudes; Parents & parenting; Program Descriptions; Psychiatric Services; Psychiatrists; Psychiatry; Psychology; Public policy; Referral; School Health Services; School Personnel; Schools; Student Attitudes; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Teacher Attitudes; Validity; United States > US; Access to mental health care; School mental health; Psychiatric services
• ISSN: 1866-2625; 1866-2633
• DOI: 10.1007/s12310-017-9222-7

Most youth with serious mental health concerns are unable to access needed psychiatric care in a timely manner. The Bridge program was designed to overcome this common barrier to care. This school-based psychiatric program provides initial services within school buildings in coordination with school personnel and provides youth with ongoing service and referral to a community provider. We describe the Bridge model and initial evidence of its feasibility and social validity and its effects in reducing time to care and improving youth symptoms. As part of the project, we documented time from referral to first appointment, parent-reported compliance with medication regimen, pre- and post-symptoms on the Vanderbilt Assessment Scales by parent and teacher reports, and social validity perceptions of parents, teachers, and youth. In the first year, over 300 youth accessed services through Bridge within 10 days of referral, compared to the 8-week historical wait time experienced by youth in prior years. Moreover, on average, youth who received treatment through Bridge experienced significant symptom improvements based on parent and teacher ratings; the majority experienced clinically significant improvements on one or more symptoms. Finally, social validity ratings by parents, teachers, and students indicated widespread satisfaction with the services and impact.