Factors affecting outcome in a school mental health service

The teacher-rated outcome on 70 consecutive school mental health referrals treated with brief psychiatric therapy was obtained. The major clinical and outcome findings were (1) 40% of the children showed a hyperactive-learning impaired pattern: (2) the use of stimulant medication for the majority of this group resulted in dramatic classroom improvement; (3) time-limited therapy for academically retarded, chronically misbehaving children produced limited classroom benefits; (4) parental antagonism toward school authorities was frequently related to student suspensions; (5) the child's IQ was a significantly (positive) outcome factor; (6) persistence in treatment was significantly greater when medication was prescribed.