Abstract:

Background
The evolution of psychopathology in the developmental age is a complex problem about which there aren’t many available evidences, besides some indications about the high level of continuity in the adult age.
There are few studies about the efficacy of a multimodal therapeutic treatment based on the integration of educational, psychological and psychiatric interventions for adolescent patients.

Aim
The aim is to study the changing in the course of time of the psychopathological behaviour and of the global psychosocial functioning of adolescents affected by psycho-behavioural disorders of medium-high level who referred to the daily Semi-residential Service for Adolescents at the Childhood and Adolescence Neuropsychiatry Unit of the Public Health Services (Azienda ULSS 16) in Padua, Italy after the discharge and the passage to the Services for adult age.

Sample and methodology
The sample consists of adolescents referred to the daily Semi-residential Service for Adolescents starting from 2001 who already finished their own therapeutic path.
The final sample of patients examined for the follow up study is formed by 36 adolescents, 30 male and 6 female. 61 adolescents were reachable, but we decided to leave out 7 patients who are living at the moment in other institutions (residential child care institution or prison), whereas 18 adolescents decided not to collaborate to the research.
For this research we used two tests the Global Assessment Functioning Scale (GAF) and the Youth Self Report of T. Achenbach (YSR 11 - 18), version 2001, moreover we used a semi-structured questionnaire in order to collect data about life and medical history of the patients. Collected data were compared with previous evaluations made in the first period of access to the service and in the final discharge phase, regarding both GAF and YSR and also regarding the previous data about life and medical history already existing in the database. Data were analyzed using the statistical program SSPS version 17,0.

Results
In the evaluation made by the operators throughout the GAF it is to be noticed a general significant improvement during the treatment period in the daily service which seems to be long lasting during the follow up.
The variable with the widest influence on the evolution is the parents’ collaboration during the semi-residential treatment, instead the type of psychiatric diagnosis does not significantly define different profiles in the evolution.
It is to be pointed out that there are different evolution conditions according to the therapy set up after the discharge from the semi-residential service (intensive or non- intensive psychotherapy, pharmacological therapy,..).

Keywords:

Adolescence, psychopathology, outcome, multimodal intervention.