Hospitals and psychiatric institutions It is, however, still incontestable that there is a large gap between the actual number of available beds and the targets set down in health planning. This is also evident from the fact that the number of stays in hospitals registered for children and adolescents up to 19 years of age diagnosed with mental and behavioural disorders increased from 15,363 in 2014 to 16,552 in 2016. High proportion of stays in adult psychiatric wards Of these in 2016, 6,626 stays (40%) were in child and adolescent psychiatric wards, 2,095 stays (12.7%) in child and adolescent psychosomatic wards, and 7,831 stays (47.3%) in wards for various adult-related specialist fields including 2,868 stays (17.3%) in adult psychiatric wards. There was thus a slight increase in the proportion of children and adolescents admitted to a child and adolescent psychiatric ward, whilst there was only a slight decrease in the proportion of children and adolescents in adult psychiatry. In the age group up to 14 years, 46.3% of stays were in child and adolescent psychiatric wards in 2016, 21.3% in child and adolescent psychosomatic wards, and 32.3% in wards for various adult-related specialist fields including 0.7% in adult psychiatric wards. There was thus a slight drop in the number and proportion of this age group in adult psychiatry from 66 (1%) in 2014 to 52 (0.7 %) in 2016. The comparable figure in the age group of the 15 to 19 year olds, however, continues to be proportionally high in 2016 at 29.6% (2,816 stays). The proportion of this age group fell slightly compared to 2014 (31.1%) but there was actually an increase in the number of stays (in 2014: 2,750). Stressful environment for children and adolescents Being confronted with adults with mental illnesses is extremely stressful for minors, as their needs cannot be adequately met in this environment. Adult psychiatry does not provide age-appropriate care, a pedagogical programme or allow children and adolescents to be with others of the same age. Adult psychiatry has neither the necessary resources nor specially trained staff for taking care of minors with mental illnesses. The jurisdiction therefore emphasises the rule of separation for adolescents in psychiatric hospitals. Obligatory care in a dedicated child and adolescent psychiatric ward is inferred in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Federal Constitutional Act on the Rights of Children (Bundesverfassungsgesetz über die Rechte von Kindern) and the Patient Charter. Transition psychiatry 52 The NPM is of the view that, in order to ease the transition phase from childhood to adulthood, it is necessary to provide continuous treatment of adolescents from the age of 16 through 24 that involves multidisciplinary outpatient day-care, inpatient care and complementary services. The creation of relevant treatments, in particular a transition section in dedicated wards, is required to this end. Special areas for adolescents should be set up in psychiatric institutions, in which child psychiatrists and psychotherapists work closely with experts in adult fields of expertise, in order to guarantee the ongoing treatment of patients in this age group.