Access to mental health services: implementing an integrated solution.

Abstract

The Surgeon General’s report 2 on mental health called national attention to the public health relevance of pediatric mental disorders, citing encouraging news of an increasing number of evidence-based treatments, as well as the discouraging news that most youth struggling with mental disorders receive no mental health services and that even when services are accessed, they are often inadequate in quality and/or quantity. More than a decade later, still less than half of young people with a mental disorder obtain treatment. 3 Given that mental health and substance use disorders are risk factors for several leading and potentially remediable causes of death, such as accidents, violence, and suicide, this disturbing reality likely has serious consequences for morbidity and mortality in the pediatric- and transitional-aged population. For example, a growing body of evidence indicates that improving access to effective mental health care can reduce suicide risk in young people. 4