A new study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry shows that poor youth and children and adolescents living in rural areas are hardest impacted by the national shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists.
For Immediate Release
June 1, 2006
Contact:
Denise Espie, Director, Development and Communications, ext. 120, despie@aacap.org
Erin Baker, Communication Manager, ext. 119, ebaker@aacap.org
A new study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry shows that poor youth and children and adolescents living in rural areas are hardest impacted by the national shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists. Christopher Thomas, M.D., and Charles E. Holzer III, Ph.D., find that the number of child and adolescent psychiatrists is insufficient in meeting the huge demand for their services.
Thirty-five states fall below the average of 8.67 child and adolescent psychiatrists per 100,000 children and adolescents. One hundred and ninety metropolitan counties do not even have one child and adolescent psychiatrist.
Alaska, Alabama, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Nevada are the five states with less than four child and adolescent psychiatrists per 100,000 youth. Families are often forced to wait months for appointments, drive great distances, and resort to seeking mental health treatment in emergency rooms.
A decrease in federal financial support for training programs and a lack in mental health parity in insurance coverage have contributed to the shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists.
To address the shortage, which includes a lack of allied mental health professionals, the AACAP supports the Child Mental Health Crisis Relief Act (H.R. 1106, S. 537). Co-sponsored by Rep. Kennedy and Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, the act would provide educational incentives like school loan forgiveness, scholarships, grants, and internships to promote the recruitment of more children's mental health professionals.
Reporters who wish to read the article can contact Erin Baker: ebaker@aacap.org.
Representing over 7,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists nationwide, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is the leading authority on children’s mental health. AACAP members actively research, diagnose, and treat psychiatric disorders affecting children, adolescents, and their families.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is the leading authority on children’s mental health. AACAP members actively research, diagnose, and treat psychiatric disorders affecting children, adolescents, and their families.
Our Facts for Families, available free of charge on the AACAP website, provide concise and up-to-date information on a wide array of issues relating to children’s mental health. Written in a simple, straightforward manner, these 88 one-page fact sheets are valuable to anyone raising or working with children. In addition, the AACAP routinely refers the media to expert spokespeople on child and adolescent issues, and sponsors The Campaign for America’s Kids – an initiative designed to fund an Advocacy Institute for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, with the goal of mental health for all children.
AACAP Mission: The Mission of the AACAP is the promotion of mentally healthy children, adolescents and families through research, training, advocacy, prevention, comprehensive diagnosis and treatment, peer support and collaboration.
