The Crisis in Youth Mental Health

A recent report to the nation from the Commission on Children at Risk warned that rising rates of mental and emotional problems among U.S. children and teenagers signal a crisis for the country. Depression, anxiety, attention deficit, conduct disorders, suicidal thinking, and other serious psychological problems are striking more and more children and youths. In these volumes, dozens of experts describe in clear language what the maladies are, how they develop, what fuels them, and what can be done to stem the tide or eradicate these disorders. Particular situations are examined, and the roles of parents, family, peers, childcare leaders, school personnel and programs, as well as pediatricians are discussed. A recent report to the nation from the Commission on Children at Risk warned that rising rates of mental and emotional problems among U.S. children and teenagers signal a crisis for the country. Depression, anxiety, attention deficit, conduct disorders, suicidal thinking, and other serious psychological problems are striking more and more children and youths. Conservative estimates say one in every ten children and adolescents now suffers from mental illness severe enough to cause impairment. Fewer than one in five ever gets treatment. In these volumes, dozens of experts from across the nation, including a Nobel Prize winner and researchers from Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, describe in clear language what the maladies are, how they develop, what fuels them and what can be done to stem the tide or eradicate these disorders. Included are chapters on attachment disorders, aggression and antisocial behaviors, learning disabilities, suicidal behavior, and autistic spectrum disorders, among others. Particular situations examined include the mental health crisis for abused children, for immigrant, foster, African American, Latino, Indian and Alaskan children, for those living in poverty, and for teenagers among the sexual minority. The roles of parents, family, peers, childcare leaders, school personnel and programs, as well as pediatricians are discussed.