NABH Releases Residential Treatment: A Vital Component of the Behavioral Healthcare Continuum

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National Association for Behavioral Healthcare

Apr 13, 2021, 09:30 ET

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) today released Residential Treatment: A Vital Component of the Behavioral Healthcare Continuum, a new white paper that highlights why residential treatment programs are critical services for children and adolescents with significant mental health and substance use conditions.

The need for high-quality, youth behavioral healthcare in the United States has never been greater, as the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened these troubling trends: the incidence of serious mental illness has increased significantly from 2018 to 2019, especially among individuals 18 to 25 years old, while major depressive episodes, suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts also rose at an alarming rate during this time.

Together with the NABH Youth Services Committee, NABH developed Residential Treatment: A Vital Component of the Behavioral Healthcare Continuum to emphasize the importance—and effectiveness—of psychiatric residential treatment services for America's youth.

"For children adolescents who struggle with complex behavioral healthcare needs, psychiatric residential treatment settings provide a comprehensive range of therapies, as well as specialists who are not available in other levels of care," said NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin. "These programs are absolutely essential for kids who have not responded to outpatient treatment, who have educational needs that can't be met in less restrictive settings or in school, or who need more intensive treatment after inpatient psychiatric care."

NABH hopes this new resource will help policymakers, regulators, members of the media, and other stakeholders understand how children and adolescents can benefit from services in residential treatment settings.

About NABH
The National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) represents provider systems that treat children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with mental health and substance use disorders in inpatient behavioral healthcare hospitals and units, residential treatment facilities, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, medication assisted treatment centers, specialty outpatient behavioral healthcare programs, and recovery support services in nearly all 50 states. The association was founded in 1933.

SOURCE National Association for Behavioral Healthcare