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Recognition and treatment of mental disorders in children: considerations for pediatric health systems
Heather Ringeisen1, Karen Anderson Oliver, Edgardo Menvielle
1Child and Adolescent Services Research Program, Division of Services and Intervention Research, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9631, USA. hringeis@mail.nih.gov
Insights
Pediatric healthcare systems are vital for identifying and treating childhood mental disorders. Enhancing physician training and integrating physical and mental health services can improve access to care for children in need.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Pediatric Healthcare Systems
- Mental Health Services Research
Background:
- General healthcare systems are crucial for identifying and treating childhood mental disorders.
- One-third of children receive mental health care from primary care providers, yet over half needing care do not receive it.
- Significant scientific evidence supports the efficacy of psychosocial, community-based, and pharmacological interventions for childhood mental health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the critical role of pediatric health systems in addressing the unmet needs in child mental healthcare.
- To identify challenges and opportunities for improving the identification and treatment of mental disorders in children within primary care settings.
- To emphasize the need for practice-relevant interventions and enhanced access to high-quality mental healthcare.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on pediatric mental healthcare delivery.
- Analysis of the role of primary care providers in child mental health.
- Examination of barriers and facilitators to effective mental healthcare implementation.
Main Results:
- Child mental healthcare can be improved through physician training, restructured training programs, patient engagement, equitable reimbursement, and integrated physical-mental health views.
- Primary care settings are essential for improving the identification and access to mental healthcare for children.
- Despite existing barriers, pediatric health systems are pivotal in managing childhood mental disorders.
Conclusions:
- Improving pediatric mental healthcare requires a multi-faceted approach including enhanced training and integrated care models.
- Primary care settings represent a key opportunity to bridge the gap in unmet mental healthcare needs for children.
- Continued focus on practice-relevant interventions and equitable access is essential for better child mental health outcomes.
Abstract:
General healthcare systems currently play an active role in the identification and treatment of children with mental disorders. As many as one-third of children identified and treated for mental health problems receive outpatient mental healthcare from primary care providers. Although some children do receive treatment, over half of those who need mental health care do not receive this service. Fortunately, current levels of unmet need for adequate care coincide with mounting scientific evidence to support the efficacious use of psychosocial, community-based, and pharmacological interventions. Scientific evidence indicates that the appropriate identification and treatment of mental disorders in childhood can reduce symptoms of child psychopathology, improve adaptive functioning, and sometimes serve as a buffer to further long-term impairment. However, mental health treatment can only be beneficial if it reaches those families in need, is amenable to clinical practice implementation, and is administered with an adequate dose. Future challenges lie in creating practice-relevant efficacious interventions to improve the identification of child mental health needs and to improve access to high quality, appropriate mental healthcare. Primary care settings will play an important role in this activity. Although many barriers exist, pediatric health systems will continue to play an important role in the identification and treatment of mental disorders in children. The quality of current pediatric mental healthcare could be enhanced by increased opportunities for physician training, a restructuring of current training efforts, an increased focus on patient engagement strategies, equitable care incentives and reimbursement, as well as an integrated view of physical and mental health.
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