Conference held Sept. 18-19, 2000, Washington, DC. The purpose of the conference was to engage a group of citizens in a thoughtful, meaningful dialogue about issues of prevention, identification, recognition, and referral of children with mental health needs to appropriate, evidence-based treatments or services.

The Scandalous Neglect of Children’s Mental Health: What Schools Can Do makes the case that children with mental health needs are under-identified and under-served by schools and other agencies. After reading this brief but powerful book, you will better understand the nature of children’s mental health needs and the need for expanded services for children in schools and communities. The risks and benefits of treatment, especially early intervention, are discussed and guidelines for action by teachers, parents, and others are provided. The sad fact is that many people do not understand that most young people with mental health needs never receive any treatment of any kind and most of those who receive any treatment at all receive those services only in schools.

With rapidly rising rates of mental health disorders, changing patterns of occurrence, and increasing levels of morbidity, the need for a better understanding of the developmental origins and influence of mental health on children’s behavioral health outcomes has become critical. This need for better understanding extends to both the growing prevalence of mental health disorders as well as the role and impact of neurodevelopmental pathways in their onset and expression. Addressing these changes in disease patterns and effects on children and families will require a multifaceted approach that goes beyond simply making changes to clinical care or adding personnel to the health services system. New policies, financing, and implementation can put established best practices and numerous research findings from around the country into action. The Maternal and Child Health Life Course Intervention Research Network and the Forum for Children's Well-Being at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine jointly organized a webinar series to explore how mental health disorders develop over the life course, with a special emphasis on prenatal, early, middle, and later childhood development. This series centered on identifying gaps in our knowledge, exploring possible new strategies for using existing data to enhance understanding of the developmental origins of mental disorders, reviewing potential approaches to prevention and optimization, and proposing new ways of framing how to understand, address, and prevent these disorders from a life course development perspective. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the series.

Build a toolkit of resources and strategies to support children's mental health.

This book provides a broad international perspective on the psychological trauma faced by children and adolescents exposed to major disasters, and on the local public health response to their needs. An outstanding quality of the book is that it draws upon the experience of local researchers, clinicians, and public mental health practitioners who dedicated themselves to these children in the wake of overwhelming events. The chapters address exemplary responses to a wide variety of trauma types, including severe weather, war, industrial catastrophes, earthquakes, and terrorism. Because disasters do not recognize geographic, economic, or political boundaries, the chapters have been selected to reflect the diverse global community’s attempt to respond to vulnerable children in the most challenging times. The book, thus, examines a diverse range of healthcare systems, cultural settings, mental health infrastructure, government policies, and the economic factors that have played an important role in responses to traumatic events. The ultimate goal of this book is to stimulate future international collaborations and interventions that will promote children’s mental health in the face of disaster.

Seasoned child psychologist and author Ellen B. Braaten offers clear and expert guidance to help anxious parents navigate the complexities of mental health care. Includes an overview of the issues involved in diagnosing and treating children; detailed information on common childhood disorders; and an in depth discussion of primary treatment approaches.

Mental Health Issues of Child Maltreatment offers a wealth of contemporary knowledge on the complex manifestations of developmental trauma and child maltreatment. Examining these issues from a multidisciplinary viewpoint, this text provides the most up-to-date knowledge on the causes and consequences of childhood trauma. The developmental perspective of this volume provides insight into the frequently confusing clinical manifestations of trauma in children exposed to violence. Practical discussions of assessment and intervention for children of different ages and in various systems (eg, school, child welfare, juvenile justice) are included. This book represents current findings in trends and issues related to the emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social, and physical health consequences of childhood trauma. Crucial topics examined in Mental Health Issues in Child Maltreatment include: -Assessment practices and ethical considerations -Neurobiology, neuroimaging, and neurodevelopmental impacts related to child maltreatment -Human trafficking and sexual exploitation -Familial, communal, and cultural causes of child maltreatment -Adolescent perpetrators of sexual violence Mental Health Issues of Child Maltreatment will prove to be a valuable and practical resource for mental health professionals, social workers, law enforcement and legal professionals, and others responsible for the continued safety and well-being of survivors of child maltreatment. It provides vital tools for professionals working alongside victims of maltreatment and includes practical discussions for enhancing assessment and intervention for children of different age groups in schools, child welfare, and the juvenile justice system.