Adolescent Patients in the Inpatient Psychology Consultation-Liaison Service at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital

Abstract

To address behavioral and emotional sequelae of medical conditions, patients and families are often referred to a hospital’s inpatient pediatric psychology consultation-liaison (IPPCL) service for psychological consultation and/or intervention by their medical team. The current study examines the ways in which referred adolescents (12 to 21 years of age) differ from children (<1 to 11 years of age) in their diagnoses, referral question, and psychological interventions through extensive analysis of the IPPCL database at C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital. We hypothesized that adolescents would present unique medical and psychological challenges to medical teams in a hospital. Our hope is that a greater understanding of these challenges will help health providers improve the care and treatment of the adolescent population.