Adolescent Mental Health

Adolescent Care at Lindner Center of HOPE

At Lindner Center of HOPE, a team of child and adolescent physicians and mental health practitioners provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services in a comfortable and therapeutic setting. Individualized care is provided with a focus on family involvement. Family education and participation is essential to the success of the treatment and recovery process.

Adolescence and early adulthood are critical times when physical, cognitive, and social changes allow a teenager to develop the identity that will serve as a basis for their adult lives. Research has indicated that psychiatric illnesses frequently present during the adolescent years, thereby making early diagnosis and effective treatment even more crucial.

Outpatient Consultations and Therapy for Adolescents

Lindner Center of HOPE provides outpatient psychiatric evaluations, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, rehabilitation and consultation services for children and adolescents, as young as age 2.

Read more about Outpatient Care.
For adolescent outpatient information, call 513-536-HOPE(4673)

Inpatient Hospitalization Services for Adolescents

Cincinnati Children’s at Lindner Center of HOPE, supported by Lindner Center of HOPE clinical experts, provides stabilization for struggling adolescents age 12 to 17 on the 16-bed adolescent unit. Patients participate in structured daily activities that are evidence-based and interdisciplinary in nature. Many involve group work with peers and staff.

The treatment team can include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, dietitians, and general practice physician. Daily programming aims to ensure comprehensive and adolescent-centered education and treatment during the course of the inpatient stay.

The recovery process begins during the course of the inpatient stay in order to promote as smooth a transition as possible to the outpatient setting.

The collaboration between Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Lindner Center of HOPE results in the highest quality care for adolescents on the unit. The team treats adolescents with all mental health diagnoses who meet admission criteria and also offers a specialty Eating Disorders track. The Harold C. Schott Eating Disorders Treatment Team is the only Inpatient and Partial Hospitalization Program offering specialized eating disorder care in the region. To read more about Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s mental health programs, click here.

Read more about Acute Inpatient Care.
For adolescent residential information, call 513-636-4124

When To Consider Hospitalization For Adolescents And Young Adults

Though the following signs may be the result of another health condition or other life circumstances, they can assist parents in determining if their child may need further help from a mental health professional:

  • Decline in school performance
  • Persistent difficulty with peers
  • Poor grades despite strong efforts
  • Constant worry or anxiety
  • Persistent somatic complaints
  • School refusal or loss of interest in usual activities
  • Persistent and disruptive hyperactivity
  • Inability to focus or concentrate
  • Repeated disrupted sleep patterns
  • Continuous or frequent aggression, “acting out” or oppositional behavior
  • Persistent sadness and/or irritability

Symptoms that need immediate attention:

  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Extreme fright in situations that do not warrant it
  • Extreme unreasonable resentments or grudges
  • Incoherent speech or writing

Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program

A partial hospitalization program (PHP) for adolescents is available at Cincinnati Children’s at Lindner Center of HOPE as a step-down option from an inpatient stay or step-up from routine outpatient therapy appointments. PHP is an option for adolescents age 12-17 and is beneficial for parents and families seeking a therapeutic environment for their children struggling with mental health problems, though specializes in the treatment of teens with eating disorders. The program operates Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and enrollees attend 5 days per week. Doctors, nurses and therapists will work with families to design the right treatment plan for each patient. The Harold C. Schott Eating Disorders Treatment Team at Lindner Center of HOPE provides specialized care to individuals in need of treatment for eating disorders.

The Partial Hospitalization Program includes:

  • Group therapy
  • Family treatment meeting(s)
  • Pharmacotherapy and medication management
  • Attention from a multidisciplinary treatment team
  • Educational assistance (tutoring and study skills training by a licensed teacher )

For admissions to Adolescent Partial Hospitalization, call 513-636-4124.

To read more about Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s mental health programs, click here.

Read more about Partial Hospitalization Program.