The Adolescent Day Treatment Program (ADTP) established in Summer 2000 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada provides multi-disciplinary non-residential day treatment for mentally disturbed youth aged 13 to 18 years who suffer from moderate to severe forms of mental health disorders that do not to require hospitalization or as a step-down from hospitalization. The treatment approach includes pharmaco-therapy, psychiatric consultation, psycho-educational groups, individual, group and family therapy, occupational and recreational therapy and school board-operated educational programming.

Data descriptions and repeated measure analyses included variables representing demographics, length of stay, diagnoses, admission and discharge problem severity, goal achievement ratings, and Children’s Global Assessment Scale (CGAS).

Significant improvement was observed over the course of treatment in the majority of patients in outcome measures (problem severity and goal achievement) and CGAS. Follow-up of a sub-sample of those served indicates that function at the time of discharge best predicts adaptation at the time of follow-up.

Day treatment appears to be effective and clinical effects persists at the time of follow-up and are predicted primarily by discharge function.