Articles
& News
March 28, 2009
Statement Of Mental Health America On
Preventing Mental, Emotional, And Behavioral Disorders Among Young
People
Mental Health America concurs with the
Institute of Medicine/National Research Council report that the
prevention of mental health and substance abuse conditions among
young people must be a national priority. In addition, the report
illustrates the importance of including the prevention of mental,
emotional and behavioral disorders as a core element of health care
reform. While a number of reform proposals focus on preventing and
managing chronic illness as a key principle, greater attention must
be paid to mental and substance use conditions.
Mental and substance use conditions are the most chronic illnesses
with an early age of onset and disabling course if left untreated.
They are also the most likely co-occurring conditions with other
chronic illnesses.
The report estimates that mental, emotional and behavioral disorders
cost $247 billion annually in treatment and lost productivity. This
is more than the revenue of 496 of the Fortune 500 companies and
does not include costs in juvenile justice, child welfare and other
human service systems. The World Health Organization estimates that
the mental and addictive disorders cause more burden of disease in
the United States than any other health conditions-twice as much as
cardio-vascular disease.
Mental Health America supports the faithful implementation and wide
dissemination of a strong science base in both prevention and
treatment. The report documents effective interventions that could
reduce problem behaviors, increase academic achievement and reduce
the rate at which individuals develop diagnosable disorders.
School-based violence prevention programs could produce a 25-33
percent reduction in the base rate of aggressive problems in an
average school. The Good Behavior Game could reduce disruptive and
aggressive behavior and reduce the likelihood that initially
aggressive students would receive a diagnosis of conduct disorder by
sixth grade or that persistently highly aggressive boys would
receive a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder as a young
adult. School-based social and emotional learning programs that
include academic achievement could potentially produce the
equivalent of a 10 percentage point gain in academic test
performance. Interventions to prevent depression could both reduce
the number of new cases of depression in adolescents and reduce
depressive symptoms among children and youth.
As in other areas of medicine, our challenge is to ensure that every
child, family and community have access to these evidence-based
practices so young people can reach their full potential.
Unfortunately, we lack a national initiative to advance the use of
prevention and promotion approaches to benefit the mental health of
the nation's young people. There is no national program, like the
physical fitness initiative of the 60's, to ensure that every child
maximizes his or her capacity.
Mental Health America endorses the implementation of the successful
strategies highlighted in the report and strongly urges Congress and
the Administration to integrate these strategies as a critical
component of a successful health care reform agenda in order to
rebuild our human infrastructure that has become so dangerously
frayed.
Mental Health America agrees with this report that a national
campaign to realize the promise of our science must be waged. And we
must also continue to develop the science of prevention and
promotion and, perhaps more importantly, the science of successful
implementation.
With a national commitment to implementing proven and effective
prevention strategies, we can strengthen families, lower health care
costs, and allow our young people to reach their full potential.
Celebrating 100 years of mental health advocacy, Mental Health
America is the country's leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all
people live mentally healthier lives. With our more than 300
affiliates nationwide, we represent a growing movement of Americans
who promote mental wellness for the health and well-being of the
nation-everyday and in times of crisis. In 2009, we are marking a
century of achievement with a year-long Centennial Observance:
"Celebrating the Legacy. Forging the Future."
Source
Mental Health America
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/143938.php
Main News Category: Mental Health
Also Appears In: Psychology /
Psychiatry,
