A randomized trial of case management for youths with serious emotional disturbance

Report on a randomized trial of case management carried out in conjunction with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Mental Heath Services Program for Youth in North Carolina (RWJ MHSPY). Youths with serious emotional disturbance (n = 167) were randomized to either a multiagency treatment team led by a case manager or a multiagency team led by the youth's primary mental health clinician. They were followed for 1 year after entry into the RWJ demonstration. Results show that the addition of an experimental case manager to a youth's treatment team resulted in longer participation in services, use of a wider variety of services, fewer inpatient days, and more community-based services.