Psychopathology of Adolescence and Clinical-Organizational Response: The Experience of the Aïda Day Center in Reggio Emilia

Journal title RIVISTA SPERIMENTALE DI FRENIATRIA
Author/s Michele Poletti, Valentina Iannuzzi, Omar Daolio
Publishing Year 2025 Issue 2025/2
Language Italian Pages 13 P. 77-89 File size 210 KB
DOI 10.3280/RSF2025-002006
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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in psychopathological disorders among adolescents (ages 11–17), intensifying a trend that had already been present in the previous decade, as highlighted by recent national and international studies. This increase concerns both the overall prevalence of mental disorders and the frequency of more severe and acute cases, which often require prompt intervention and specialized hospitalization. However, the availability of beds for neuropsychiatric admissions in this age group remains very limited, and traditional psychiatric wards are inadequately structured to accommodate underage patients. In response to this clinical and organizational emergency, the Aïda Adolescent Day Center was launched in February 2024 by the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Service of the AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia. The centre, dedicated to young people with severe psychiatric disorders, offers a structured semi-residential program with clinical, rehabilitative, and workshop-based activities, at different levels of intensity (high, medium, low), based on clinical severity and ongoing therapeutic monitoring. This paper aims to provide a first assessment of this experience, both clinically and organizationally, one year after its opening, contributing to the broader discussion on innovative care models for mental health in developmental age.

Keywords: Psychopathology; adolescence; psychiatric crises; hospitalization; semi-residential intervention.

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Michele Poletti, Valentina Iannuzzi, Omar Daolio, Psicopatologia dell’adolescenza e risposta clinico-organizzativa: l’esperienza del Centro Diurno Aïda di Reggio Emilia in "RIVISTA SPERIMENTALE DI FRENIATRIA" 2/2025, pp 77-89, DOI: 10.3280/RSF2025-002006