Child psychology dropouts

People dropping out of treatment is a significant issue in all mental-health services but particularly so in child and adolescent mental-health services, with previous studies reporting dropout rates of between 28-75%. Dropping out can affect the effectiveness of treatment and lead to considerable costs for mental-health services. Researchers in Australia reviewed the files of 520 cases over a 12-month period and looked at the relationship between diagnosis and drop-out rate. Clients experiencing family problems, conduct disorder and ADHD were more likely to drop out of treatment whereas children experiencing negative life events, anxiety disorders and with no diagnosis were least likely to drop out.

Johnson, Emily, Mellor, David and Brann, Peter - Differences in dropout between diagnoses in child and adolescent mental health services Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry October 2008, 13(4), 515-530