An Uncontrolled Pilot Study of an Integrated Family-Based Partial Hospitalization Program for Youth With Mood Disorders

Trajectories of adolescent suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms during partial hospitalization: Clinical and demographic characteristics as predictors of change.

“…Utilization of PHPs is increasing (Chiu et al, 2022; del Conte et al, 2016; Leffler et al, 2017) as a community health resource for youth whose symptom severity requires more intensive care than typical outpatient services but does not warrant inpatient hospitalization. Building on the limited research evaluating the effectiveness of PHPs in community settings, the present study found decreasing trajectories of SI severity and depressive symptoms in a sample of adolescents receiving care in primarily CBT/DBT-oriented PHPs.…”

Considerations for implementing evidence-based practices for youth anxiety in an acute psychiatric care setting.

“…Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) provide services to individuals whose symptom severity and level of functioning require a care setting beyond routine outpatient care but do not justify hospitalization. Although PHPs are becoming increasingly utilized for youth with severe psychiatric disorders (Del Conte et al, 2016; Leffler et al, 2017), there is scarce research on the effectiveness of these programs. Little is known about the extent to which evidence-based practices (EBPs) for youth are typically provided through these programs.…”

“…Additionally, the majority of these CBT programs have a specific disorder focus, such as obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) or panic disorder, and are not bound by the same regulatory standards as PHPs. While in recent years some PHPs have successfully implemented an EBP for youth with mood disorders (Leffler et al, 2017) and in the transdiagnostic application of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT; Del Conte et al, 2016), a similar guide does not yet exist for anxiety disorders.…”

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Adolescent partial hospitalization programs (PHP) provide specialized, intensive, interdisciplinary day treatment for youth with significant psychopathology warranting a higher level of care than outpatient therapy, but less intensive than admission to an inpatient unit. Although partial hospital programs are becoming increasingly utilized for youth with severe psychiatric disorders (Del Conte et al, 2016;Leffler et al, 2017), there is scarce research on the effectiveness of these programs and little is known about the extent to which evidence-based practices (EBPs) for youth are typically provided through these programs. Shortened lengths of stay, fluctuating patient acuity, diagnostic heterogeneity, and clinical complexity are significant and enduring barriers to successful implementation of EBPs in acute care facilities.

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