Читать книгу Introduction to Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology - Robert Weis - Страница 53

Although 20% of children and adolescents will develop a mental health problem at some point prior to adulthood, only about one-half of these youths receive treatment. Recent epidemiological studies indicate that only 51% of children and 45% of adolescents with mental disorders receive therapy or medication (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016b; Costello, He, Sampson, Kessler, & Merikangas, 2014). The likelihood that a youth will receive treatment depends on his or her disorder. For example, youths with ADHD are most likely to receive treatment, usually in the form of stimulant medication (e.g., Adderall, Ritalin). In contrast, youths with anxiety disorders are least likely to receive treatment, despite the fact that anxiety disorders are among the most treatable of all childhood mental health problems (Weisz et al., 2017).

Children and adolescents with mental health problems are most likely to receive treatment at a school (24%), specialized mental health clinic (23%), or medical facility (10%). Some children receive services through other social agencies (8%), clinics that offer complementary or alternative medicine (5%), or the juvenile justice system (5%). As we might expect, youths with ADHD and learning disabilities are most likely to receive treatment at school, whereas youths with certain high-risk conditions such as eating disorders and substance use problems are more likely to visit specialized mental health clinics or hospitals. Children and adolescents with anxiety and mood disorders are most likely to be treated by their pediatricians.

Not all children have equal access to high-quality mental health care. High-SES families are most likely to obtain mental health services for their children usually from psychologists and physicians. In contrast, youths from lower-SES backgrounds disproportionately receive treatment through public schools, human-service agencies, and the juvenile justice system. Furthermore, African American youths are less likely than non-Latino White youths to receive treatment (Costello et al., 2014).

Altogether, these data indicate that only about one-half of youths with mental health problems receive the treatment they need. When children are able to access treatment, it is often not delivered by mental health specialists. Instead, many youths receive care from school personnel, juvenile justice officers, nurses, and pediatricians. We desperately need students to devote their careers to providing specialized mental health services to children and adolescents, either by delivering evidence-based treatment themselves or by removing sociocultural barriers to families’ access to high-quality care.