On December 9, Southcoast Behavioral Health officials unveiled a new adolescent wing to better service teens.

The wing includes an an outpatient treatment center that is pending approval from the state Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Abuse Services and a 24-bed psychiatric unit.

The wing will help to address a chronic lack of mental health services for adolescents in Southeastern Massachusetts, said center authorities. The outpatient treatment center will target adolescents, ages 13-17.

The unit and treatment center will be located within the 120-bed psychiatric hospital located at 581 Faunce Corner Road, said officials.

The unit will have a staff of clinicians in a number of behavioral health and substance abuse disciplines, including child and adolescent psychiatrists to treat adolescents, said officials. Patients who are discharged from in-patient stays will be able to receive services through the unit’s outpatient center.

The need for adolescent psychiatric care is acute and growing, especially in greater New Bedford and Fall River, where thousands of children living in low-income homes suffer from mental health disorders that are left untreated, said officials.

Untreated mental health problems often lead to poor school performance, chronic absenteeism, school dropout, strained family relationships, involvement with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, and suicide, officials said.