Perceived Barriers to Mental Health Services among Detained Youth. Juvenile Justice Bulletin. NCJ 248522

This bulletin is part of a series that presents the results of the Northwestern Juvenile Project--a longitudinal study of youth detained at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago, IL. The authors examine youth's perceptions of barriers to mental health services, focusing on youth with alcohol, drug, and mental health disorders. Findings include: (1) Most frequently, youth did not receive services because they believed their problems would go away without outside help (56.5 percent); (2) Nearly one-third of youth (31.7 percent) were not sure whom to contact or where to get help; (3) Nearly one-fifth of the sample (19.1 percent) reported difficulty in obtaining help; and (4) African American and Hispanic detainees received significantly fewer services in the past compared with non-Hispanic white youth. Male detainees also received significantly fewer services in the past when compared with female detainees. The authors interviewed 1,829 juveniles detained in Chicago to determine their need for, use of, and barriers to services. [See report for list of funding support.]