Mental, Behavioral and Development Health

According to recent poll results, 56% of parents claimed their child's primary care physician does not ask them about child mental health concerns.

U.S. parents seek assistance from a health care professional or school employee regarding emotional and behavorial issues for 14.5% of children ages 4 to 17, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report has found.

Children who express their cultural identity through what they wear may be improving their mental health, according to a study in the May Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

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A state-by-state survey conducted by the American College ofEmergency Physicians (ACEP) has found widespread gaps in emergencycare in the United States. Access to emergency care is seriouslylimited in many states, with no excess capacity to cope withdisasters and with frequent shunting of patients from one hospitalto another when emergency department beds are full, as they oftenare.

More than 90% of directors of college counseling centers in theUnited States and Canada report an increase in the number ofstudents seeking psychiatric or psychological help for severeproblems on campus, according to an annual survey of counselingcenter directors that contains data from 366 campus counselingcenters. The survey findings offered a great deal of insight intohow, and why, students use the services of counseling centers.

ASSESSMENT

Initiatives undertaken by health-care providers in various states could serve as models for improving mental health services across the country. In Texas, for example, pediatricians, psychiatrists, and family physicians have worked in concert to expand critical mental health services for children, said Stephen Barnett, MD, clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas, who participated in a symposium Friday at the American Academy of Pediatrics national conference in Washington, D.C. The session spent an entire afternoon looking at ways to integrate mental health care into the medical home.

Parental drinking can cause a child to have problems in school, somatic complaints, or other difficulties. Pediatricians need to uncover alcohol addictions and tactfully and firmly steer parents toward appropriate help.