The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of positive mental health among children and adolescents. Founded in 1953, AACAP is composed of child and adolescent psychiatrists and other physicians who work to promote the comprehensive evaluation and treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents through research, training, advocacy, prevention, and collaborative efforts.
According to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, approximately 21% of children and adolescents meet diagnostic criteria for a mental health disorder; however, more than two thirds of these children do not receive specialized treatment. Among those children who do receive treatment, the use of psychotropic medications among children and adolescents under the age of 20 has increased significantly over the past decade, with approximately 6% of health-insured youth reporting the use of psychotropic medication in 1996....
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Suggested Reading
Burns, B. J., Costello, E. J., Angold, A., Tweed, D., Stangl, D., Farmer, E. M., & Erkanli, A. (1995). Children's mental health service use across service sectors. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 14, 147–159.
Kataoka, S. H., Zhang, L., & Wells, K. B. (2002). Unmet need for mental health care among U.S. children: Variation by ethnicity and insurance status. American Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 1548–1555.
Thomas, C. R., & Holzer, C. E., (2006). The continuing shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists. Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 45, 1023–1031.
Zito, J. M., Safer, D. J., dosReis, S., Gardner, J. F., Magder, L., Soeken, K., et al. (2003). Psychotropic practice patterns for youth: A 10-year perspective. Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, 157, 17–25.
Suggested Resources
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry—http://www.aacap.org
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1999) Mental Health—http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentahealth/home.html: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2001) Mental Health—http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/cre/: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity–A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.
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Segool, N.K., Carlson, J.S. (2010). American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). In: Clauss-Ehlers, C.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural School Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71799-9_18
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