Mental Health

"It is estimated that one in five children and adolescents have a mental health problem such as, depression, ADHD, and eating disorders, and for as many as 6 million this may be significant enough to disturb school attendance, and home and social conditions."

Despite these startling statistics, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that fewer than one in five of these children receives treatment, due in part to a lack of affordability, lack of availability of specialists, and stigma. One key point of access for helping these children receive the mental health care they need is the inclusion of mental health services—provided by qualified counselors, psychologists, and social workers—in this nation's schools. Grants through the Children's Mental Health Services program have been instrumental in achieving decreased utilization of inpatient services, improvement in school attendance, and lower law enforcement contact for children and adolescents." 1

"The medical home is not just a place, but a process of care that allows for the identification and tracking of children and youth with special health care needs, systematic care coordination, active care planning with families, and explicit co management with specialists..."

The national medical home movement is gaining momentum among practitioners. Much of the focus has been on the role of primary care providers. Now is an ideal time for specialists in a variety of disciplines to examine the concept of planned co-management between specialty and primary care. Co-management allows for improved “vertical” communication within the health care systems as well as better “horizontal” linkages between health care settings and other key community resources. For specialties like child psychiatry in which access is a problem or in which the demand of clinicians exceeds the supply, co-management offers opportunities for increased efficiency and reduced redundancy. Joint ventures to pilot these concepts are needed." 2

Children's Mental Health and the Medical Home
Listen to David Tayloe, MD, FAAP, immediate past president of the AAP, provide an in-depth discussion of children's mental health and the medical home during the recent Medical Home Web Summit.  

AAP Children's Mental Health in Primary Care
This site houses information and resources from the AAP related to mental health, including current projects, funding opportunities, policy statements, upcoming events, literature, and information about the Task Force on Mental Health.

Enhancing Pediatric Mental Health Care: Report From the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Mental Health. Pediatrics. 2010; 125: S69-125.

Bright Futures
Bright Futures, initiated by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, is a philosophy and approach that is dedicated to the principle that every child deserves to be healthy, and that optimal health involves a trusting relationship between the health professional, the child, the family, and the community. As part of this initiative, Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents was developed to provide comprehensive health supervision guidelines, including recommendations on immunizations, routine health screenings, and anticipatory guidance. This program is administered by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC is an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services whose mission is to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. The CDC has helpful information on mental health related issues, including statistical information on suicide.

Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health (FFCMH)
The FFCMH is dedicated to providing education, resources, and information to children with mental health needs and their families.

Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Library Knowledge Path: Mental Health
The MCHB's Knowledge Path offers a selection of recent, high-quality resources that address the goals outlined in the New Freedom Commission and Surgeon General reports and taps into the health, education, social services, and juvenile justice literature. This resource also identifies tools for staying abreast of new developments in child and adolescent mental health and for conducting further research. It is aimed at health professionals, program administrators, policymakers, educators, and families.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
The NAMI is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults living with mental illness and their families. Founded in 1979, the NAMI has become the nation's voice on mental illness. Every state has a NAMI organization and over 1,100 local communities across the country join together to meet the NAMI mission through advocacy, research, support, and education.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
An institute of the federal National Institutes on Health, the NIMH works to reduce the burden of mental illness and behavioral disorders through research on the mind, brain, and behavior. The NIMH works to achieve a better understanding, treatment, and eventually prevention of these disabling conditions that affect millions of Americans.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
The SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for improving accountability, capacity, and effectiveness of the nation's substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health delivery system.

• Caring for Every Child's Mental Health Campaign
  This national public information and educational campaign strives to increase public awareness about the importance of protecting and nurturing the mental health of young people, and fostering recognition that many children have mental health problems that are real, painful, and sometimes severe.
• Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS)
  The CMHS leads federal efforts to treat mental illnesses by promoting mental health and preventing the development or worsening of mental illness when possible. Congress created CMHS to bring new hope to adults who have serious mental illnesses and to children with serious emotional disorders.
• Evidence-Based Practice Implementation Resource Kits
  The Evidence-Based Practice Implementation Resource Kits encourage the use of evidence-based practices in mental health. The kits discusses: illness management and recovery; assertive community treatment; family psycho-education; supported employment; and co-occurring disorders treatments.
  

1 Statement for the Record for the U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. FY 2004 on behalf of the AAP. May 14, 2003.

2 Cooley, WC, Improving Care for Children with Chronic Conditions: The Primary Care Medical Home. AACAP News. September/October 2004.