ABSTRACT
Studies (Milazzo-Sayre, 1986; Almqvist 1986) of the hospitalization of severely disturbed adolescents estimate that between three and six percent of adolescents are psychiatrically hospitalized. The actual number of adolescents placed in various types of hospitals and treatment settings fluctuates over time due to political and funding patterns (Woolston, 1991). The best estimates are that at least 50,000 adolescents are placed in residential treatment each year in the United States and perhaps a larger number in inpatient psychiatric hospital settings (Lewis & Summerville, 1991; Cates, 1991). An analysis by Edwards (1991) of 10,898 youths being treated in 1987 by 162 institutions reported the duration of treatment averaged 16 months, with a median of 14 months.
