Financing mental health services for adolescents: a position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

s d Mental health is essential for normal adolescent develpment. When adolescents’ mental health is compromised, dolescents, their families, their communities, and society ll bear a heavy burden. Mental health services are essential or adolescents having problems in this area. However, roblems related to financing continue to limit many adoescents’ access to mental health services in the United tates [1]. Approximately 20% of children and adolescents have a iagnosable mental health disorder [1]. Mental health probems among adolescents are associated with significant emoional suffering, potential physical consequences and mortality, nd high financial costs to society [2]. When left untreated, hese conditions are associated with increased rates of acaemic underachievement, school dropout, and involvement ith the juvenile justice system, strained family relationships, nd significant health compromising behaviors such as unproected sexual intercourse and substance use [3–6]. The finanial burden of care for an adolescent with mental illness may xhaust a family’s financial resources, forcing family members o take on multiple jobs, to incur substantial debt or, in some ases, to relinquish custody of their child in order to obtain the ervices necessary for continued care [7]. Treatment of mental health problems is most effective when roblems are identified early and appropriate treatment begins ithout delay [8]. Despite the availability of effective treatents, only 24% of children and adolescents who need mental ealth services receive treatment [9]. The U.S. Surgeon Genral’s report cited missed opportunities for prevention and arly identification of mental health problems, fragmented serices, insurance restrictions, and low priorities for resources as ey obstacles impeding access of children and adolescents to he services necessary to treat mental health disorders [1]. lthough many national organizations have highlighted the mportance of financing mental health care, most do not proide detailed adolescent-specific information or recommendaions on financial access to comprehensive mental health care or this population and do not address how issues of financial ccess to mental health care specifically affect the health and ell-being of adolescents.