The relationship between school mental health service use in high school and educational outcomes of adolescents with psychiatric disorders

This study aimed to examine the relationship between school mental health service use in high school and educational outcomes of adolescents with psychiatric disorders. The sample included 2617 adolescents who were enrolled in eighth grade in a large urban school district in the United States, were enrolled in Medicaid during eighth grade, and had a mental health diagnosis. Psychiatric hospitalization, school enrollment, school absences, out-of-school suspensions, school dropouts, and school exits for negative reasons were examined as mental health and educational outcomes. Compared with adolescents who used school mental health services for 2 years following eighth grade, adolescents who did not use school mental health service during the high school years had a significantly lower annual number of days enrolled in school and higher rates of exiting school for negative reasons such as school dropout and long-term hospitalization. Our findings support the positive role of school mental health care delivery in high schools in preventing negative educational outcomes for adolescents with psychiatric disorder.