August 2004

Why should our society fund and focus on the prevention and treatment of childhood mental health disorders?

The first and most important reason to address childhood mental health is to help the families and youth struggling with the negative impact of the physical, emotional, and disruptive behaviors of mental health disorders. While this reason alone should be sufficient, we are now beginning also to realize that early treatment is one of the most prudent and direct ways to counter many larger societal problems that arise and appear overwhelming when left unchecked. These reasons, coupled with an increased understanding of the necessary assets that lead toward a balanced development, can help us guide a path for early intervention and prevention.

Researchers have found that childhood psychopathology is a much more powerful predictor for a range of later adversities than most other potential prevention targets. Early expression of a mental disorder is more important than family poverty in predicting teen childbearing, and more important than low parental education in predicting educational attainment. We are also gathering evidence to show that family problems and child mental health disorders including traumatic stress and disruptive behavior disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, ADHD) are associated with earlier and increased onset for substance disorders.

Our society needs to focus on helping families early because our ability to successfully treat certain mental disorders early is much greater than our ability to reverse or neutralize the problems of family poverty, low parental education, or substance disorders. The evidence argues strongly for interventions that provide early and effective treatments for child and adolescent mental disorders and a targeted prevention plan to bolster community, family, and individual assets to reduce risks later risk.