Adolescents and young adults with mental illness have an increased risk of long-term unfavourable development and show high clinical severity and multiple psychosocial needs at an early age. In this context, several specific transitional psychiatric treatment services have been developed during the last years. The experience gained so far in adolescent psychiatry shows that a close interdisciplinary cooperation of child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry is necessary to address interface problems with the aim of a successful transition, as well as to prevent the development of severe and chronicmental illnesses. At the same time, there are many structural and content-related challenges that need to be integrated and addressed. In this review, different treatment models are presented and the requirements for successful transition psychiatry are discussed in the context of the existing evidence.
