Data were extracted from a review of computerized administrative claims for 15,507 Medicaid youth in an effort to assess differences in rates of mental health treatment for enrollees in one of 3 categories of aid. The study population consisted of individuals aged 0-19 years residing in a suburban county in a mid-Atlantic state during 1996 and enrolled in the fee-for-service Medicaid program. Mental health services were analyzed and compared for youth in foster care, receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and all other forms of assistance such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). The dataset includes demographic information, type of mental health services provided, mental disorder diagnoses (in 15 subcategories), as well as psychotropic and certain nonpsychotropic medications prescribed.
Data from Medicaid fee-for-service and managed care claims from one Mid-Atlantic state were analyzed for this cross-sectional study. The dataset consists of a total of 16,969 youths under the age of 20 with a mental health diagnosis and a pharmacy claim for antipsychotic medication in 2003. Data for each individual includes demographic, Medicaid program category (ie, foster care, disabled), psychiatric diagnostic codes, and psychotropic medications by major therapeutic class.