Transforming mental health care for children and their families.
In April 2002, the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health was created by executive order to study the mental health care delivery system in our nation and to make recommendations for improvements so that individuals with serious mental disorders can live, work, learn, and fully participate in their homes and communities. In its report, "Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America," the commission provided strategies to address critical infrastructure, practice, and research issues. This article focuses on the work of the commission's Subcommittee on Children and Families, describing its vision for mental health service delivery for children and providing suggestions for strengthening community-based care for youths with or at risk of behavioral health disorders. Training, research, practice, and policy implications for psychologists are discussed.
Huang
Larke
L
American Institutes for Research, Washington, DC 20007, USA. lhuang@air.org
Stroul
Beth
B
Friedman
Robert
R
Mrazek
Patricia
P
Friesen
Barbara
B
Pires
Sheila
S
Mayberg
Steve
S
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000639:trends*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000639:trends; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000639:trends*; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational / Q000639:trends; D005192:Family Health; D005544:Forecasting; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000639:trends; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000639:trends*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States