The transition from adolescence to adulthood is particularly challenging for youth who have a serious mental illness. This can be a difficult time for all young people, but those whose lives are complicated by mental disorders need additional services and supports.
In addition to the many supports that all transition-aged youth require (such as help accessing higher education, job skills training, housing assistance, and financial help), those with serious mental disorders need to be able to having on-going mental health treatment, case management assistance, skills training, rehabilitative services, and assistance in applying for benefit programs for which they may be eligible.
Many youth with serious mental disorders do not receive these supports. Even when services that might be relevant for them are available in their community, they are usually geared to older adults and not tailored to their specific needs and interests.
Some youth face special problems. Runaway and neglected or abused youth may be living on the streets. Others will develop severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, which is frequently first diagnosed during these years. Youth in the child welfare system often lose all services as they turn 18. These obstacles can be devastating for them as they struggle to make the transition to adulthood.
Mental health systems, schools, colleges and child welfare agencies all should have policies to make appropriate transition-aged services and supports available. Far too often, this is not the case. The Bazelon Center believes public systems—and particularly public mental health systems—need to pay more attention to these problems and develop age-appropriate services and supports.