Follow-up study of children admitted to a psychiatric day centre.

A follow-up study of the first 20 children admitted to the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital Day Centre for emotionally disturbed children is described. The psychiatric status of the children and their families was evaluated at admission, discharge and follow-up. The results indicate that younger children benefit more than older ones from day hospital treatment, and that more attention must be paid to the psychiatric needs of the family as a whole.