Integrated School Mental Health Programming

Introduction

There has been a rise in mental health problems in children and adolescents in recent years. The proportion of pediatric patients seen in primary care who present with psychosocial problems has nearly tripled over the past 20 years (Kelleher et al., 2000). Results from a recent national study found that over one in five children (or 22.2%) have a mental disorder severe enough to disrupt their daily living (Merikangas et al., 2010). When left untreated, mental health problems in children and adolescents may lead to increases in suicide, school failure, juvenile and criminal justice involvement, and health care utilization (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2011). Improvements in children's and adolescents’ mental health will require a collaborative ...