Children's Mental Health: What Every Policymaker Should Know

The National Center for Children in Poverty released a new paper, Children's Mental Health: What Every Policymaker Should Know. This paper presents a variety of mental health statistics which reflect the need for improved mental health service delivery in the U.S. Research shows that one in five children birth to age 18 has a diagnosable mental disorder. Youth in low-income households, child welfare and juvenile justice systems and those in military families are at increased risk for mental health problems. The paper offers ten policy strategies to improve services and highlights the need to focus on young children.