Leukocyte labeling was studied in rats during and after continuous intravenous infusion of H3-thymidine. The radioisotope was administered for varying periods up to 271 days. The results permit the following conclusions: 1. The median survival of small lymphocytes is about 1 month. Five to 8 per cent of small lymphocytes have a life span of more than 9 months. 2. Following the administration of H3-thymidine, reutilization of the tracer markedly delays the fall-off of labeled cells in the peripheral blood. Reutilization probably involves H3-thymidine released from labeled DNA during cell death, since suppression occurs with massive infusion of non-labeled thymidine. 3. Unlike granulocytes and large lymphocytes, small lymphocytes label nonuniformly, and appear to be comprised of at least two populations with different intensities of labeling and different turnover rates. The more heavily labeled cells have the faster turnover. 4. The complexity of the labeling process indicated by the present observations must be considered in the interpretation of H3-thymidine data. However, the survival of unlabeled cells during continuous H3-thymidine infusion remains a valid means of measuring the life spans of circulating blood cells.

The present descriptive case study reports on the state of treatment services and environmental settings in adolescent residential treatment facilities (RTFs) conducted as part of the Residential Treatment Center Evaluation Project. The project frequently uncovered poor quality of care exposing youth to deleterious conditions. Observations related to harsh treatment practices, psychiatric practice and medication management, educational and aftercare planning, and general treatment planning were closely examined. The analysis indicated that accreditation and licensing are insufficient to assure the quality of the service process in RTFs. Future research should address the relationship between treatment quality and treatment outcome. Efforts should also be made to develop strategies for organizational change to support high-quality services in RTFs.

This country has never had a formalized child mental health policy, if one uses the definition of child men tal health policy as the existence of governmental commitment to ensure the availability of appropriate mental health services to children (birth-21 years) and their families. Over the past century, the field of children's mental health has borrowed policy from child welfare, juvenile justice, special education, and adult mental health, but attempts to form a comprehensive policy have been inadequate in scope and follow-through. The latest attempts at the creation of such a policy through the managed behavioral healthcare revolution and the federal government's Child and Adolescent Service System Program and Child Mental Health Services Initiative have been no more successful than past efforts in creating meaningful policy. Until a comprehensive policy is forged, children's mental health services will remain informal, incomplete, and piecemeal, making it difficult for children with mental health problems and their families to receive appropriate services.

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