Citation

Byford S, Harrington R, Torgerson D, Kerfoot M, Dyer E, Harrington V, Woodham A, Gill J, McNiven F. Br. J. Psychiatry 1999; 174: 56-62.

Affiliation

Centre for Health Economics, University of York. sb33@york.ac.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10211152

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Little evidence exists regarding the effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of alternative treatment services in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry. AIMS: To assess the cost-effectiveness of a home-based social work intervention for young people who have deliberately poisoned themselves. METHOD: Children aged < or = 16 years, referred to child mental health teams with a diagnosis of deliberate self-poisoning were randomly allocated to either routine care (n = 77) or routine care plus the social work intervention (n = 85). Clinical and resource-use data were assessed over six months from the date of trial entry. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of the main outcome measures or costs. In a sub-group of children without major depression, suicidal ideation was significantly lower in the intervention group at the six-month follow-up (P = 0.01), with no significant differences in cost. CONCLUSIONS: A family-based social work intervention for children and adolescents who have deliberately poisoned themselves is as cost-effective as routine care alone.

Language: en