Treatment outcome of school-based mental health services for urban teenagers

This pilot study assessed the treatment outcome of mental health services for high school students enrolled in a school-based health clinic in Baltimore. Compared to students receiving no mental health treatment (n = 34), treated students (n = 39) showed improvements in self-concept and decreased depression scores following the receipt of individual therapy services (augmented for some students with group therapy). While depression scores decreased for the treatment group, they actually increased for students in the comparison group. Students in the treatment group also showed nonsignificant decreases in anger and anxiety. Implications for the future development of school-based mental health services are discussed.